Last Chance
by Cresenta's Lark
Summary: Every Scrooge should get a chance to review their past and change their future. This Christmas, Tim Scam is going to get his... Sam/Scam


Hello! _Merry Late Xmas! :D_

Erm so this was supposed to be my Christmas fic….it's 6 days late thanks to stupid things that kept me from finishing it one time. :( Sorry.

_Note: _This fic could be possibly _**rated M**_, it kinda depends I guess lol. Not for anything too violent or scary or um anything but this is a tiny heads up. :) (Very tiny. lol)

And I know this is long lol, I noticed while writing it, I hope the plot makes up for the length though, if not I apologize. **=( **

**Disclaimer: **Totally Spies is not mine…GRRRRRR lol.

**Dedication: **Poison's Ivy! Merry Christmas Ivy! :D Sorry this took so long to have up (ugh) But I finished it in December so MUAHAHAHAHAH. Lol jk. I hope you enjoy the story…(And Scam's harassment…:P)

:D:D:D:D

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"Oh my God, guess what day it is tomorrow?" Clover asked excitedly, her lips displaying a grin of pure joy while her eyes lit up in happiness. From next to her, dressed in a Karen Millen leopard winter coat, black leggings, turtleneck, and suede boots crunching in the snow, Sam rolled her eyes. "Hmm…judging by the Christmas trees, festive spirit, half-off sales, dressed up store displays, and the fact that we just went gift-shopping…." she smirked. "I'm gonna wager a guess and say it's Christmas, although I could be wrong," she said with a little shrug leaving the blonde to pout, and Alex to erupt into a fit of giggles from next to her.

"Aww give her a break Sammie…" Alex said still giggling as she adjusted her white, woollen scarf around the collar of baby-blue pea coat. "You know Clover gets excited around Christmas," she said thoughtfully making the redhead sigh as she nodded in agreement. Clover did always get extra-hyper around this time of year. Looking away from the blonde's shining face Sam bit her cheek. _"__I wish I could be so excited about Christmas,__"_she said to herself with another sigh. _"__I used to be once, before…__"_she thought, her face slowly, discreetly growing sadder at the thought….

**Christmas 2008.**

Brushing off her thoughts Sam smiled at her friends, hoping she hadn't missed any conversation only to find Alex smirking at Clover before she blurted out, "I mean Christmas does equal gifts!" Clover turned her head and fixed Alex with a small glare only making her best friend laugh some more as they continued walking down the snow-covered street towards the blonde's house. Sam sighed disapprovingly, catching the interest of her friends. Clover smiled, assuming Sam felt Alex was wrong about her only caring about presents. "What's wrong Sammie? Alex tends to think I'm materialistic once in a while, it's no biggie!" she said with a grin as the raven-haired girl rolled her eyes.

Sam bit her lip before she shook her head. "No it's not that Clover. I mean Christmas is more than just gifts, isn't it?" she said making the blonde cringe before she waved her hand airily. "Oh come on Sam! You're not going to _enlighten_ me with one of your philosophical speeches now, right? Please say no! Please say no!" she said while bringing her hands together as if she were praying. Sam rolled her eyes at her friend's behaviour before poking her in the shoulder. "Um hello! What about charity? And giving? You know…doing something nice?"

"Pssh please, we save the world from evil baddies 364 days of the year!" Clover said in annoyance. "We deserve a day off!" Alex sighed while shaking her head. "Fat chance, remember last year? We wanted a break then too and you know what happened," she said making the blonde bite her lip as she was plagued by the memories of that horrible W.O.O.H.P party they had been forced to attend with Jerry singing Christmas carols in his oh-so-fabulous voice. Just thinking about it still gave her a headache. "No thanks!" Clover said angrily. "I want a nice, normal Christmas this year, no W.O.O.H.P, no Jerry!" she said firmly before her blue eyes filled up with a puppy dog look. "Just me and my darling Blainey," she said letting out a contented sigh. Sam raised an eyebrow at the blonde who was already in dreamland. "You mean kissing under the mistletoe, maxing out Blaine's credit card, robbing your parents…" she said, smirking teasingly leaving Clover to kick snow at both her and a giggling Alex.

"You're both just jealous!" Clover mumbled while entering her home's walkway, her friends following behind her with amused looks on their faces. "I mean it makes sense," Clover muttered when she reached the door, opened it and walked inside. Turning around she crossed her arms over her chest and fixed her friends with an all-knowing smirk. "You don't have boyfriends," she said coolly. "Whoa hold up!" Alex screamed. "Don't even mention the word boyfriend!" she said, sounding panicked as she glanced outside a window before glancing back at the blonde. "My mom could be over to pick me up at any moment! I'm already praying she doesn't think of her constant quest to find me a boyfriend, so work with me okay?" Alex said, sounding peeved. Clover threw her head back and giggled at Alex's never-ending predicament. Alex rolled her eyes. "Do you KNOW that's what she told me she wants for Christmas?" she snarled, trying to make them see the seriousness of the situation. "I asked her, mom what might you like for Christmas and she says, Alex I want you to find a wonderful boyfriend!"

Clover and Sam laughed at Alex's impression of her mother's voice and at the look of utter annoyance on her face. Smirking, Clover shrugged. "Why don't you make her wish come true?" she asked making Alex sigh as she placed her hands on her waist and glared. "As if finding true love is soooo easy!" Clover rolled her eyes before smirking. "She said she wanted you to find a boyfriend, who said _anything_ about true love?" Alex smirked right back. "I'm telling Blaine what you said!" Clover shook her head knowing Blaine wouldn't care but just in case she threw a cushion off the couch at Alex before sticking her tongue out and screaming. "You are just jealous!"

"You know she's right Clover," Sam suddenly said, drawing the blonde's attention. "How is she right?" she protested and Sam sighed before shrugging. "It's not easy to just…you know, find your soul mate, the person who you think is meant for you and have it all work out." The blonde resisted the urge to roll her eyes, shaking her head instead and missing the small, sad frown on Sam's lips. _"__It__'__s anything but easy to have it all work out…__"_she thought, her thoughts wrapped up around someone she should never be thinking of. Forcing the frown off her lips Sam poked Clover with her index finger because she had seen her shaking her head in annoyance. "Come on Clover, you know I'm right," she said teasingly.

Clover sighed. "Uh uh, no you're not! I mean what's wrong with looking for a few soul mates?" she asked, as if her plan was common sense. "You're bound to get along with more than one guy! I know I dated…" she went silent for a moment, counting off her fingers while thinking before she shrugged. "A lotttttt of guys before I found Blaine! And I'm not ashamed to admit I thought some of them would have been perfect soul mates!" Ignoring Sam and Alex's pointed looks she sighed dreamily. "David for example, now he's soul mate material."

Sam couldn't help but giggle at Clover. Here she was in a happy relationship with Blaine and she was still thinking of David. That was something she was never able to do. She was never able to claim to love one man and still have eyes for another. She frowned as that thought settled in. Come to think of it that was why….

"Sammie?" Clover said and Sam blinked, giving her friend a smile, not realizing she had spaced out just now. She shrugged. "You know Clover… some of us are kinda one-man women," Sam said with dignity as she addressed Clover's previous statement. The blonde sighed knowing Sam definitely was a one-man woman. That was probably why she hadn't been with a guy in the last three years, not for more than a petty date anyway and those dates had almost always been set up by her and Alex. Clover's eyebrows furrowed in thought. She had always wondered what had made Sam's interest in boyfriends vanish, what had led her to just stop looking for them and accepting dates. Perhaps Sam hadn't noticed it had been a while since she had an official boyfriend? _"__Or maybe she__'__s looking for Mr. Right,__"_Clover thought with a sigh before giving Sam a scrutinizing glance. "It's like you're looking for the perfect guy Sam," she said leaving the redhead to give her a confused stare. "What do you mean?" Sam asked slowly, not really understand how the focus of the conversation had shifted to her and her lack of a boyfriend.

Clover shrugged. "When was the last time you had a boyfriend? Three years ago?" Sam shook her head quickly. "I don't know what you're talking about." Alex watched Sam carefully not understanding why she was refusing the fact that she hadn't shown interest in a man for a long long time. They were her friends of course they noticed. "I think she means you're not interested in a short-term boyfriend, you're looking for something that's more permanent." Clover nodded her head before Sam could react. "Yea that's what I meant. You're looking for the perfect guy," Clover said before she sighed. "But I have to warn you Sammie, there is no such thing as a perfect guy," she smirked. "Especially not for you."

Sam rose an eyebrow as she watched her blonde friend. "And what would you know about my perfect guy?" she asked in interest. Clover bit her lip in thought. "Uh…smart? He'd have to be smart. He'd have to be a leader, dedicated, loyal, mature, sophisticated…." she sighed. "The list goes on and on for personality and hmm…looking-wise, let's see," she paused in thought. "Oh yea!" she said with a grin as she remembered a pattern in the types of men Sam even bothered to look at. "He would have to have brown hair and green eyes!" she said proudly, never noticing how Sam gulped at her words.

"_She noticed that?__"_Sam thought, fidgeting with her hands a little nervously, something that her friends silently noticed but didn't understand. Sensing Sam's sudden silence Clover touched her shoulder. "Did I say something wrong?" she asked biting her cheek in concern. "I just thought that seemed your type. I mean David, Dean and James…they all have that description," she said, explaining herself.

Sam let out a small breath of relief at her words. Thankfully Clover had forgotten one man that also matched that description. Putting a mock glare on her face Sam huffed. "JAMES? Really Clover? How could you even mention that jerk?" she screamed. Alex couldn't help but laugh because even now, after all this time Sam still got angry with the mention of James. She really did hate ever having a thing for a criminal, being the upright, morally cautious girl that she was. "Stop it Clover! You know Sam doesn't like to remember that she had a thing for a criminal!" she said warningly and Clover sighed. "Okay, okay not James," she said, putting her hands up in defeat. "I was just thinking of brown-haired, green-eyed men you had a thing for. So David and Dean were options."

"Those were silly crushes! I wasn't serious!" Sam protested with a pout. She knew she could still go after either one of them because none of them were in a relationship but to be honest they weren't even her type. Besides on the surface. It was their green eyes and brown hair that pulled her to them. Sam crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Clover. "Sorry but David? Someone who Mandy salivates over? No thank you," she said firmly. "I would want someone who would be all my own thanks." Seeing Clover about to protest, Sam knew she was going to bring up Dean so she held up her hand. "And Dean is just my friend, really." Clover sighed in defeat. "Well it'll be tough to find someone better. I mean anyone's better than that asshole James," she said in disgust. "But someone better than David? That's gonna be a challenge."

Sam let out a small laugh at Clover's pessimism and lack of patience. "Tough doesn't mean impossible," she said logically. "I mean maybe one day I might have someone I really really want, someone much better than David," she said with a small smile on her face. "I have hope," she said with a small blush on her face. _"__There is always hope,__"_Sam told herself silently while her eyes closed for a moment, the picture of someone floating beneath her closed eyelids.

Watching Sam space out yet again Clover frowned. For some reason Sam was always a little weird on Christmas Eve. She would start saying weird things like miracles could actually happen and other nonsense that a logical girl like their Sammie would never say. But she acted like a totally different person around this time of year and she didn't understand why. _"__It__'__s probably the spirit of the season that makes her wishful,__"_she tried reasoning with herself. And being hopeful was a good thing but not enough to make yourself delusional! Clover knew there was no one better than David, not for Sam anyway. "_Which other guy has __"__Sam__"__ qualities and doesn__'__t already have a girlfriend?__"_she thought with a sigh, her mind going black before she gave up. "Well good luck finding that person who is better than David, he doesn't exist," she said with a small laugh. Snapping out of her thoughts, Sam opened her eyes and let _**his **_memory fade away as she sat up straighter on the couch. Letting out a sigh Sam knew her friend was right. He didn't really exist, not in the way she wanted him to, not for HER.

Casting her eyes down with a small frown on her lips, Sam blinked sadly. _"Why do I do this to myself?" _she asked herself as sorrow clouded her mind. _"I should stop for my own sanity's sake...it's never going to happen. Never in a million years." _Sighing Sam put a small smile on her lips. Thankfully she had Clover around to keep her mind in check for those times she forgot that what she wanted was impossible. _"I need to stop thinking about him,"_she told herself before she glanced up at her friend who was now busy texting her boyfriend.

"...You're lucky to have Blaine you know?" Sam said suddenly while smiling softly. "You're lucky to have the man you truly want." Clover took her eyes off her cellphone and glancd at the redhead with a grin. "Aww Sammie!" she said, while moving closer and wrapping Sam in a hug. "Thank you!" she said before leaning back andd looking Sam in the eye. "Don't worry though, you'll find your soul mate soon!" she said cheerfully while giving Sam an encouraging grin.

A strained smile was soon on Samantha's lips. "No thanks," she said softly as she stood up from the couch and turned away from her friends. "I don't need to find a soulmate," she said firmly. _"Finding him isn't the problem..._" Sam thought, her face growing sadder until Alex and Clover's shocked gasps made her turn around. "Why not?" Alex asked in confusion. Biting her lip Sam knew she couldn't explain the truth to her dearest friends in the whole world. They wouldn't understand. How could they understand something even she could not understand? She had to lie instead and make them belive everything was okay, that she was happy. "_Just like I have been for the last three years_," Sam thought, refraining from sighing before she rolled her eyes. "Um hello! I'm too busy to even THINK about love or MEN at the moment!" she said sounding annoyed. Crossing her arms over her chest Sam sighed. "Top marks take sacrifices!"

Clover raised an eyebrow. Sure school was a major pain in the ass but would it really keep a girl away from wanting a boyfriend? Shuddering at the thought she shrugged. "Is that why you haven't seriously looked at a guy in like the last 3 years? Ever since grade 9?" Sctraching her head nervously Sam shook her head rigorously. "Duh! And it's senior year now! Grade 12, I'm busy with college applications." Clover laughed. "Oh come on Sammie you'd get into Harvard in your sleep, you're that good." Alex giggled at her statement and Sam blushed in embarrassment. Sometimes she forgot how much of a nerd she was. "Um thanks?" she said before smiling. "But I honestly don't need a boyfriend!" Watching her friend about to try again Sam glared. "And why are we talking about boyfriends anyway! It's Christmas not Valentine's day!" she said, ending the conversation effectively.

Alex smirked. "Well for Clover it is," she said with a giggle. Clover groaned. "It is not!" she screamed knowing Alex was bringing up her boyfriend again who was going to shower her with Christmas gifts like he was supposed to. "Oh?" Alex said with fake innocence on her face. "So Blaine doesn't have to prove his love to you with presents?" Sam laughed at the sour look on Clover's face. "It's not my fault he wants to buy me things! I don't ask for them!" She said, trying to maintain what ever dignity she had left. Sighing Clover looked at her friends. "But seriously all I want is a normal Christmas with no trouble." She leaned back on the couch and smiled. "No Jerry, no lame W.O.O.H.P party and no mission. That's all I wish for- Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Clover's words were lost as the couch fell back and soon her, Sam and Alex were being sucked down through an all too familiar tunnel. "No!" Clover screamed as she fell. "This isn't fair! No W.O.O.H.P on Christmas was like my number one wishhhhhhhhhhhhh!" her voice echoed on her way down. Landing roughly on the uncomfortable couch a moment later, Clover untangled herself from her friends and directed a glare at her boss. Jerry was sitting there with a smile on his face with a Santa hat on his head, and a mug of steaming hot chocolate in his hands as he gave them a little wave. "Hello girls, Happy Christmas Eve." Clover rolled her eyes. "Yea it was happy before you W.O.O. us! I'm telling you Jerry if you have a mission up your sleeve the answer is no!" she screamed while her hands flew around wildly. "I have gifts to buy and wrap. I still have to pick out my outfit for Christmas day and there is a sale at our favourite mall and I am NOT missing it! And-"

"Calm down Clover! Where is your festive cheer?" Jerry asked with a laugh. "Besides I don't have a mission for you, promise," he said, crossing his hand over his heart. Alex watched him with narrowed eyes. "Well why did you W.O.O.H.P us then?" Jerry put down his mug and smiled. "Well I called you to give some good news, since criminal activity has been low for a while I've decided to give all of you Christmas Eve and Christmas day off," he said, smiling softly and shocking the girls who could hardly believe they were being given time off. Smiling once she got over her shock, Clover grinned. "Thank you Jerry! You're not as stiff and overbearing of a boss as I thought you were!" she said, clapping her hands together with a proud smile on her face when she looked at him. Jerry smiled sheepishly. "Well I'm giving you those days off...provided that-"

"Oh so there is a catch!" Clover screamed accusingly, putting her hands on her waist and giving him a glare. Jerry shook his head rigorously. "No, no just a reminder," he said softly while taking a sip of his hot chocolate. "Don't forget about the W.O.O.H.P Christmas party tomorrow evening." The girls all pulled a face. Sighing, Alex shook her head. "No offence Jerry but the W.O.O.H.P party is kind of lame," she said before flashing him a smile. "But I'm sure your other agents will love it!" From next to her, Clover nodded in agreement. "Yea! They'll love it wayyyy more than we would! In fact if we came we'd be ruining the academic and scholarly mood at your party!" She gave him an innocent look. "We don't want to do that Jer, so we'll opt out!" she said enthusiastically making Jerry sigh and raise an eyebrow. "Well okay," he started and the girls took a deep breath of relief. A smirk was soon on Jerry's face. "However... there is a mission in the Antarctic that needs to be worked on, I suppose you girls would like to handle that while the rest of us attend the part-"

"Okay, okay we'll come to the party!" Clover screamed, sounding exasperated as she gave up. One boring party was better than a whole Christmas freezing in the Antarctic anyway. Jerry's smirk only widened. "I knew you'd say that," he said deviously before smiling. "The party is tomorrow at 9:00 pm, don't be late or I'll have to W.O.O.H.P you," he said making Clover, Alex and Sam sigh. "Now off with you girls and good luck shopping. But wait!" he said, holding up his hand to stop them. "Don't forget your presents!" he said with a cheerful grin as G.L.A.D.I.S. held out three boxes. "Here you go girls, happy 1 day before Christmas," G.L.A.D.I.S. said. Casting each other dubious glances, Clover, Alex and Sam were almost certain that they weren't even going to open the gifts based on the presents they had received last year. Last year Jerry had cleverly given them test gadgets disguised as presents. The chaos that had ensued afterwards was something none of them wanted to remember.

Picking up her green gift box, Sam looked at Jerry with concern. "Are you sure you don't need us at all, Jer?" she asked. Jerry gave her a smile. "Well thank you for being the only one who cares about being an agent," he said making Clover and Alex roll their eyes. "But don't worry Sam, the guards will handle the criminals," his smile widened. "In fact they are already all in jail." Sam bit her lip softly when she heard that as her mind wandered to the one man she knew was incapable of staying in jail and rarely stayed put there. "All of them?" she asked, doubt in her tone. "Even...Marco Lumiere and Terrance?" Jerry let out a small chuckle at her speculative tone. Sam really worked much too hard and cared way too much about everything. "Yes Sam they are both currently in jail, in their respective cells." Sam slowly nodded at this information before she went silent for a moment, deep in thought. _"Should I...should I ask about..." _Biting her lip she gave Jerry an uneasy smile. "What about...Tim Scam?" she asked shaking her head. "He escapes a lot, and it's Christmas season...wouldn't he have tried to escape again while everyone is relaxed and enjoying the holidays?"

Jerry nodded. "Well that is true but Tim Scam is also in jail, they all are," he said smiling but sighing when he saw the doubty glance the redhead was greeting him with. Shrugging Jerry decided to put her mind at rest. Knowing Sam, she wouldn't be able to rest easy until every criminal was in their rightful place anyway. Moving towards the door to his office Jerry smiled. "They are all in prison, why don't you see for yourself?" he said calmly as he unlocked the door and moved to the criminal holding facility that was nearby. Seeing Sam nod and follow Clover dragged behind her with a frown and a sigh, Alex close behind them. "I don't get it Sammie!" Clover complained in a whiney tone. "Why are we wasting our time! We still need to do soooo much shopping and Jerry said they are all in jail, can't we just take his word for it?"

Sam let out a small, sad, inaudible sigh as she walked ahead of her friends along the facility. Of course Clover was right and she knew Jerry was certain when he told them all the criminals were in jail but...She had other reasons to want to check on the criminals. She just wanted the chance to maybe walk past cell number 384527464625. Biting her lip sadly, she sank into her thoughts as she fell behind her friends in their walk around the prisons. _"I just want to maybe get to see his face, just for a moment..._" Her feet stopped almost automatically as her eyes landed on the cell labelled with the number she had memorized. Her breath slightly hitched in her throat, Sam bit her lip and glanced around for her friends. Noting that both Clover and Alex were well ahead of her she let her eyes flicker to her left and her hand reached out slowly to touch the glass casing of the prison, her eyes landing on the criminal that sat locked within that cell.

Sam's eyes softened as she stared at the man. His dark hair darker in the prison's dim lighting, his eyelids closed but she knew they covered deep, sea foam eyes, his mouth set into a small line as he sat there with his back leaned against a cold wall attempting to sleep. A small sigh escaped her mouth as she watched him. "...I should have known you'd be here…" Sam said almost regretfully, biting her lip when she realized she had said that out loud. Loud enough for it to have caught Tim Scam's perfect hearing. His eyes flew open to glance at his unexpected visitor and a smirk formed on his face when he saw Samantha Simpson, W.O.O.H.P.'s perfect goody-two-shoes standing outside his cell, watching him fixedly.

Smirking harder he took his time standing up and walking to the front of his cell and soon he was right before her with only the thin veil of plastic separating them. Sam bit her lip and took a step, making sure not to let him see how it was a step closer. Watching her face for a moment Scam wondered why she was even here. Didn't she have better things to do than rub his misfortune in his face? Did she honestly have nothing better to do on Christmas Eve than taunt him for him being in prison? _"Apparently not,"_ he thought in annoyance before giving the redhead an unimportant glance because sadly for her, he did have better things to do than waste time talking to his enemy. "Yes you should have known that.." he said, responding to her words. "Considering you just helped arrest me what…a day ago?" he said while crossing his arms over his chest and giving her a belittling look. "I bet you're real proud aren't you?"

Sam blinked as she stood there listening to him, knowing she felt a lot of things over him being locked up in jail on Christmas Eve. Pride...was not one of them.

Watching her saying nothing he smirked harder. "Sam helps stuff evil back in jail," he said in a fake, proud tone before he let out a chuckle. "Get yourself an award for all I care," he spat icily before pausing in thought while his smirk only grew wider. "Or maybe since you've been such a "good girl" by stopping evil from winning, who knows?" he raised a hand for effect. "Maybe Santa will grant your deepest wish!" he said, his tone nothing but rude and conceited.

Standing there before him Sam felt her hand curl into a fist, her nails digging into the flesh of her palm as she tried to control herself. "If my deepest wish did get granted, trust me, you would know Ti-Scam," she muttered while giving him an angry glare. Scam rolled his eyes. "Of course I would know," he muttered. "I would drop dead and you'd never have to deal with me again," he said, his lips stretched into a smirk. "Good luck with that one," he added with a rude quirk of his eyebrow.

Sam's eyes remained on his face as she watched him quietly. Her face fell and a storm raged in her emerald eyes as she stood there, looking straight at him in silence. Scam smirked as he watched her mouth form a frown only to pause for a second because for some reason, maybe because of the darkness, it seemed as if her lower lip was almost quivering. Shaking his head he brushed that idea off because he knew that while he was an expert at making people angry, he wasn't good enough to make someone as strong-willed and stubborn as Samantha Simpson cry. Especially not for no reason.

"Sam! Come on, why are you standing there? Everyone's in jail, let's go shopping already!" Came Clover's annoyed voice as she rushed towards Sam and quickly grabbed her arm only to glare when she saw exactly who Sam had been talking to and she couldn't understand why. "Ugh! Why are you wasting your time with Scam?" she said, throwing the criminal a glare before pulling her best friend away. Turning her head, Sam gave Scam one more glance, a glare mixed with disappointment before she spoke. "Yea..." she said softly. "Why am I wasting my time over him," she muttered, it sounding more like a question than a statement before she turned briskly and stormed out of the W.O.O.H.P prison facility.

Glaring after them, Scam walked back to his uncomfortable bed in slow steps. "There they go for another day of shopping and partying," he muttered disapprovingly at the nonsense these girls valued. Sitting down on the edge of his bed he thought over the day today was. December 24th, Christmas Eve. Tomorrow was Christmas. Glaring at no one he slowly leaned back and rested his back against the wall's icy surface while he attempted to make himself comfortable on W.O.O.H.P.'s wrought iron prison bed. A tired sigh left his mouth as he sat there with his thoughts to keep him company. Tomorrow was the most worthless and pointless holiday of the year that people wasted time celebrating (next to Valentine's day of course).

Sitting there amongst the low hum of Christmas carols drifting from what he assumed was Jerry's office, Scam could safely say he didn't give a damn about Christmas. He never had. _"When was the last time I cared about Christmas?" _he thought, a smirk forming on his lips when he realized he knew better than to care for such a stupid day. Christmas in his eyes ,was pointless. Absolutely useless. Looking up at the blank wall before him he spoke to himself in an empty, dark tone. "It's just a way for people to waste money, go to parties, get drunk and then get into car accidents..." he muttered, pausing at his last words before he shook his head and dismissed that thought, not wanting to think about it. Standing up, he stretched his back, it being sore from the wall he had been leaning against for a while before he walked up to the front of his jail cell and peeked out into W.O.O.H.P.'s jail corridors.

His mouth curled down into an angry frown as he noted how happy some other prisoners looked. Even from his spot which was well away from the other criminals that were locked up here, he could see smiles on their faces. Happy smiles of joy. It disgusted him. Standing there, as a criminal just like the rest of these men, he could not understand why these others were so happy. "It can't be the seasonal spirit," he muttered with a sneer. Then what was it that was making them so...excited? His ears twitched when they picked up on a conversation from a few jail cells away and he strained his hearing to hear exactly what was being said. "My wife is going to come over to see to me tonight I can't wait until evening...I kind of wish I was going to be home for Christmas this year. Maybe next year Stephanie won't be alone but, I just hope she'll keep waiting for me and doesn't give up," Scam heard one inmate say and his eyes widened in shock at how thoughtful he sounded.

"Seriously?" he whispered to himself, repulsed that he was stuck in the same area as morons such as these. Who on earth needed to look forward to being visited by someone? Why would anyone want someone waiting for them to come home on Christmas day? He certainly did not. It was simply nonsense. Every word this man was blubbering was nonsense.

Annoyed, Scam shot a glare at a man who was smiling before he went and sat back down on his bed. Sometimes...most of the time, he couldn't understand those around him. This was one of those times. He simply could not understand these criminals. Men who had been arrested for one or two counts of the crimes he had committed a hundred times over. Why didn't they behave like him? He never cared for nonsense such as this. Biting his cheek in thought, Scam curled his legs up and rested his arms around his knees. A moment after incessant thinking he smirked having figured it out. _"Of course...not all men are as independent and happy with freedom as I am," _he thought with a relaxed sigh, things finally making sense. These men were not like him. So they, with their inferior intellect, would of course be sitting here on Christmas Eve, hoping to be in the arms of some woman, hoping to share a clichéd kiss with someone under a mistletoe...things he wouldn't think of even in nightmares.

Grumbling to himself, he thanked himself for the man he had become. Hollow of emotion inside out. He enjoyed feeling nothing and needing no one. It was nice to not have to worry about how his actions affected others because no one noticed him. "I have a perfect life," he said to himself with a smirk, about to close his eyes and attempt to sleep to block out the carols that were still playing when something caught the corner of his eye.

"What the hell?" Scam muttered, opening his eyes and standing up as he walked to the front of his cell yet again. Looking left and right down the corridor as far as he could see he frowned when he saw nothing. A second before he could have sworn he had seen a bright light of some sort. It had almost looked like a human figure...

Still confused, he looked around only to sigh when he saw one agent setting up a ridiculously large-sized light up angel against one jail cell. That must have been what he had seen, a decoration. Looking around, he couldn't help but grimace when he noticed how many horrid decorations Jerry had had put up this year. It only made his mood worse as he was busy trying to pretend it wasn't Christmas, the worst day of the year. But Jerry's stupid decorations, his off-key carols would not let him forget it for one second. Glancing at the shining tinsel that was hanging on several rows of cells Scam sighed in agony.

The sparkling colours of red, white, gold, green and silver made his eyes hurt just from looking at it. His hands were practically itching to tear it down, at least off his cell so he wouldn't have to look at the sparkly plastic that was aiming to get him into the holiday spirit. Aiming to cheer him up. Rolling his eyes, Scam scoffed at Jerry's lame attempts. He didn't need cheering up, he wasn't miserable. Scowling, Tim Scam glared at the agent who was adding more sparkle to the hallway because the only thing that was making him irritated was all the holiday cheer.

This place looked disastrous. The LED lights that were present everywhere... He could go blind just staring at them. Where was the peaceful darkness that a jail cell was supposed to offer? Scam sighed, cursing in his head as he sank back onto his bed. "Of course Jerry can't just let me live in peace," he spat. "Doesn't the idiot know how I loathe celebration?" Scam whispered angrily. Knowing the old man, he probably did this just to annoy him. Bored, and annoyed beyond description, Scam glanced back out of his cell one last time to see a Christmas tree now standing in one corner. His sea foam eyes glanced at the ornaments in turn, moving upwards until they stopped on the angel at the very top. "Pathetic," Scam growled before praying that this was the last decoration Jerry thought to put up because he was honestly sick of them.

Running a hand through his hair he sighed because he needed something to make him happy, to get his mind off the idiotic, happy smiles on his fellow inmates faces. Suddenly he froze in horror as a thought came to him. "Wait a minute," he whispered. "If these criminals are so happy...then those spies that put them here, put ME here," he growled. "They must be a hundred times happier," he realized and it was a thought he wanted to gag at. Frustrated he began thinking to ease his anger. "Hmm," he said in thought as he crossed his legs on the stiff mattress. "Maybe I should send my own personal present to those annoying girls," he said, an evil, merciless smirk forming on his lips. That would teach them not to forget about WHO they were and about the criminals that hated them. His eyes narrowed as his thoughts grew more angry." That'll_ teach them not to celebrate __mindlessly while __**I**__ am in this jail," _he thought , smirking harder at the thought. Why should those spies be happy and smile while he was stuck here, in a jail where they put him? No, they needed to suffer. They needed to pay.

Smirking menacingly, Scam began plotting in his head while hoping he had planned this earlier. He wasn't sure if he could figure out something truly evil and big enough to destroy all the spies on such short notice. "It doesn't matter though," he said, encouraging himself with a grin on his face. "I'll find a way to make them miserable yet, if not this Christmas then the next..." his grin turned into a predatory smirk as his eyes grew dark with bloodlust. "...Provided that I don't already kill them before next Christmas..." he said, chuckling at the thought. Shutting out the sounds of cheer from around him Scam focused on just how to cause chaos and misery for his enemies. And because he was so busy thinking and ignoring everything else around him, he never noticed the bright, faded figure that was floating just outside his jail cell. Watching him with a disapproving frown set on her lips.

* * *

Walking outside of The Guardian Angel, the store they had been shopping for last minute stocking stuffers at Clover, Alex and Sam made their way to Clover's red convertible, carefully putting their purchases in the trunk. Sighing in content the blonde closed the trunk and leaned against it with a grin. "Don't you just love Christmas? So many sales!" she said in excitement while doing a fist pump making her friends smile as they got into her car. "Okay so we got stocking stuffers," Alex said. "What next?" Clover shrugged. "I say we hit every store on this block and buy something from each!" Sam giggled at her friend's plan knowing Clover was never able to quite sate her materialistic needs.

Leaning back in the car seat she smiled glancing to look out of the window only to see that it was covered with frost. Still smiling she moved her hand to the window, about to wipe away the frost when she stopped. Biting her lip, she pressed her finger against the glass. Her fingertip moved across the window creating a small, horizontal line. Lifting her finger for a second she moved it to the centre of the horizontal line she had drawn, dragging her finger down and creating a vertical line to join it. Staring at the letter she had written she bit her lip while quickly adding two other letters to it to finish the name on her mind. Staring at it for a second she sighed before shaking her head and wiping the letters away.

About to turn back to talk to her friends, she paused as her eyes landed outside the window to see a sign. Narrowing her eyes to see more clearly as the car whipped Sam read the words "It's in you to give," the sign asking for blood donations and she gasped remembering something she had forgotten to do that she did each Christmas for the last three years. "Clover hold on, I need to go back to W.O.O.H.P!" she said suddenly, making the blonde turn her head and glance at her.

"Why?" Clover asked while keeping one eye on the road. She let out a small huff. "Relax Sammie, all the criminals are in jail! You saw it yourself!" she muttered before facing the road again. Sam nodded while letting out a small laugh." I know that Clover...but It's Christmas Eve remember?" she said, only confusing the blonde who frowned. "Yes I know, why else are we going gift shopping?" she asked, utterly confused. Sam only laughed harder at Clover's inability to think beyond shopping and presents. "No, no Clover, remember? It's Christmas Eve," she said poking her friend in the shoulder. "I always donate blood to W.O.O.H.P on this day."

"Oh…" The blonde said with a small sigh. She never did understand why Sam had started this strange tradition some three years ago. Why would anyone want to give their blood during a season of celebration? _"But Sam won't change her mind, she always does this,"_ she said to herself before mumbling a quick okay to Sam and turning the car back to W.O.O.H.P. When they reached W.O.O.H.P Clover sighed harder not wanting to be here at all. "Make it quick okay Sammie?" she mumbled and Sam smiled knowing her friend had more important things to do. _"But to me...this is one of the most important things I do on this day," _she thought, with a smile as she made her way over to where blood donations were done. Reaching the station, Sam smiled back at the agent she saw each year. "Hello agent Simpson," he said with a smile. "Here to donate blood again?" Seeing Sam nod, Clover groaned. "I really don't understand why you donate blood every year," she whined, trying to understand her best friend.

Sitting down on a chair and letting the agent extract her blood Sam closed her eyes thinking of the one person she did this for. Her mind flickered back to her last visit with him and she immediately frowned at the memory. Biting her lip, her frown grew sadder. _"But I hadn't really expected him to know anything about my hopes and dreams anyway,"_ she thought with a sigh as the agent finished with her and put a bandage on her arm. Standing up she sighed when she saw the inquiring look Clover was giving her and she figured she still wanted to know why she did this each year. "This blood goes to agents when they get hurt and need it," she said with dignity and the blonde sighed. "Yea well it goes to criminals too," she said angrily making the redhead freeze for a moment. Giving Clover a smile, Sam pushed her friend away form the donation station. "Okay I'm done here, let's go and shop. I think I saw a 60% off sale at the mall," she said, quickly changing the topic.

It seemed to have worked as Clover gave her a big smile. "Yay, that's more like it!" she said joyfully before Alex looked at Sam with concern. "Are you sure you're okay enough to go shop though?" she asked, biting her lip and studying the arm with the bandage on it. Smiling at Alex's concern, Sam nodded. "Yea, I do this ever year I'm fine!" she said cheerfully as she quickly led her friends away from the blood drive before they got any more ideas. Watching Sam leave, the agent smiled after one of the only spies who ever donated blood to criminals. Glancing at her blood type he couldn't help but sigh. It really was ironic how a man who spilled so much blood always had a supply of it for himself whenever he got injured. All thanks to this girl. Sighing he carefully handled the bottles, moving to store them appropriately while never noticing the hidden figure that was standing there reading the name of the criminal the blood was being stored for and sighing sadly at the thought.

* * *

Standing in the centre of the largest clothing shop in their favourite mall Sam sighed while sifting through the dresses that Clover was going hyper over. "Oooh this one!" Clover squealed in excitement while holding up a pink, short dress against her body. Alex and Sam both nodded in approval while watching Clover grin and add yet another dress to her pile of things to try on and buy. "Why aren't you guys getting anything?" she asked while pushing a purple dress, with a four-leafed clover accessory pinned onto its shoulder towards Alex. "Here try this one, who knows it might bring you good luck in finding a boyfriend," she said with a wink leaving Alex to scowl and Sam to giggle. Clover smirked at Sam. "Oh don't laugh too hard Sammie, you still need a boyfriend too."

Sam rolled her eyes. "I'll pass, thanks," she muttered, knowing she didn't want to bring up this topic again. Looking at the pile of clothing that Clover could hardly keep up, Sam pointed to it and smiled. "Why don't you try those on?" she said, prompting the blonde to nod and go into a change room, while dragging Alex who was glaring at the purple dress with her and pushing her into another one. Once inside Clover poked her head out to see Sam. "Um what are you going to do? It's going to take me a while," she said, feeling bad about leaving Sam there who strangely didn't really seem like she was in the mood to do anything today. She really couldn't understand why Sam wasn't interested in dresses and they were 60% off too! Smiling Sam shrugged. "I'll browse around, maybe buy a gift or two," she said leaving Clover to smile brightly, glad that Sam was finally making some sense. "Yay! you do that!" Clover said before disappearing into the change room.

When the door closed Sam sighed before slowly walking around the store. Her eyes scanned the isles and isles of dresses, dress shirts, gowns but sadly nothing seemed to catch her eye. While normally she had no problem finding herself clothes to buy and she really enjoyed it, she was never in the mood to shop or dress up or do anything fun during Christmas season. There were just too many painful memories related to the day that came up much too easily whenever she thought about it. Sighing heavily Sam walked around the store, aimlessly moving from section to section. A smile touched her face when she saw a little red-haired girl playing with a teddy bear that wore a Christmas hat before she bounced away to ask her father to buy it for her. Watching the happy child Sam found herself hoping she could be happy. _"Hmm, maybe buying some last minute gifts might make me happy_," she thought, smiling as she realized she had only bought Jerry a scarf and she could possibly find something a little more useful.

Walking over into the men's isle Sam bit her lip as she glanced at the clothes there and she quickly realized Jerry wasn't the type to wear black trench coats or leather. She was about to walk away when she paused and sighed. She berated herself but couldn't help but think of a certain someone that she had a hard time keeping off her mind. Sighing, feeling like a lost case she turned back to the section and looked through everything having a hard time deciding. She finally stopped in front of a rack of leather jackets. Her eyes landed on one jacket and she lifted it off the rack studying it closely. It was a short, black leather, motorcycle jacket with a stand collar and welt pockets. Tucked inside of it was a light grey V-neck sweater and under that a white shirt. Closing her eyes for a second she imagined him dressed in it, smiling at the thought before she opened her eyes and brought herself back to reality with a sigh. He was never going to end up wearing it.

_"Should I buy it anyway?" _she wondered, looking around nervously in case her friends were watching her. Looking up she gulped, taking a step back when she noticed that the mannequin in front of her appeared to be staring right at her. Its green, painted eyes seemed to be alive and looking at her questioningly as she stood there clutching the jacket and Sam couldn't help the feeling that she was being watched. Brushing off her nervousness because it had never stopped her before she left the section with the jacket still in her hands, never looking back to notice how the mannequin's eyes had grown just as dull as other ones, no longer shining as they had been a moment before.

Quickly walking over to a cashier Sam bought the jacket and swiftly made her way back to the section where her friends would be. She jumped when she bumped into Clover halfway and clutched her bag with the purchase close to her. Glancing at the section Sam had come out from Clover looked at her curiously wondering what Sam had been doing in the men's isle. Sam didn't have a brother or a boyfriend, then who had she been shopping for? "What you got there Sammie?" she asked leaving the redhead to gulp and smile nervously. "I kind of bought something," she said softly. Clover laughed softly at Sam's strange behaviour. She was beginning to wonder if Sam was hiding something. Smiling she gave Sam a pointed look. "Yea I can see that, but who's it for?"

Thinking fast Sam shrugged. "For Jerry of course, I felt bad about buying him just a scarf." Clover bit her lip and mentally kicked herself because she had forgotten to buy jerry anything at all. Oh well, he could always use another grey tie. Smiling she looked at the shopping bag with interest. "Well what did you get him?" she asked making Sam bite her lip. "Nothing special," she said quickly but Clover wouldn't give up. "I want to see it," she mumbled before taking the bag out of Sam's hands faster than she could take it away.

"Clover..." Sam whispered, sounding panicked and the blonde couldn't understand why. Her eyes narrowed when she pulled out Sam's purchase and she looked at her questioningly as she held a very nice leather jacket in her hands. Was this seriously for Jerry? Maybe Sam was attempting to help him fix his wardrobe but she wasn't sure Jerry would ever wear something this nice. All of a sudden Clover found herself laughing. "Ahahahah oh Sammie! If Jerry dressed like that, don't you think he'd be married by now? Or at least have caught someone's eye?" she said and Sam couldn't help but laugh at that.

Controlling her laughter fit Clover held up the jacket and blinked thoughtfully. "Well it's really nice but isn't it a bit too big for Jerry?" she said as she noticed how wide the jacket was, much too broad for Jerry's skinny frame. "Oh.." Sam started slowly before she sighed. "I guess they packed the wrong size," she said with a shrug. "I'll just exchange it later on. He does have a scarf already," she said with a smile before taking the jacket from Clover and tucking it away. Clover watched her with a raised eyebrow. "Why don't you just return it now? We're at the store," she said logically but Sam quickly shook her head. "Nah, it's not important, we have a lot of other things to do right now," she said before walking away to where Alex would be, Clover following closely behind her with curiosity on her features.

Exiting the mall, the girls quickly made their way to Clover's car, afraid for their purchases as snow was falling heavily now. Putting everything in the trunk Clover frowned as she noticed Sam never placing her only purchase in the back, opting instead to keep it with her. _"Why does it feel like she's hiding something?" _Clover wondered while glancing at Alex who was also looking at Sam from the corner of her eye, curiosity on her face as well. They were both interrupted by the sudden ringing of a bell as a little boy and girl ran over to them. Looking at the boxes they were holding it was easy to tell they were collecting donations for the needy.

"Hello," the little boy, barely seven years old said cheerfully. "We're collecting money to help those in need, would you have any donations?" he asked politely. Clover sighed knowing she didn't enjoy handing out money she could use to shop, that and she didn't have much cash on her, just credit cards. Shuffling around in her pocket Alex pulled out some money and smiled while handing it over to the little girl with a smile. "Hope this helps," she said kindly leaving the girl to grin.

Sam said nothing simply standing there smiling at the little boy. Her eyes ran over his dark, chestnut hair peeking out from his hat and bright green eyes and her heart softened as she watched him standing there smiling at her. Reaching into her purse she took out what ever money she had left and slipped it into the boy's collection box. Clover gasped in shock and the little boy gave Sam the biggest smile he could. "Thank you!" he said sweetly before holding the box carefully and smiling harder at Sam. "I hope alllllllll your deepest wishes come true on Christmas day!" he said making Sam smile brightly at his words.

Watching the children walk away Clover turned to Sam with a scrutinizing glare, having expected better from the logical girl she knew since childhood. "Honestly Sammie!" she screamed, still shocked that Sam had donated well over two hundred dollars. "Do you honestly think giving away all that money will make your wishes or whatever come true?" she asked in bewilderment. Sam stayed silent for a moment knowing she couldn't deny she had been hoping it would help before she only shrugged at Clover in response.

Muttering under her breath and shaking her head in disbelief, Clover opened the door to her car and sat down, Alex getting into the back and Sam joining her. As the car doors closed nobody noticed how an angel, made by a child in the snow nearby was glowing strangely as they drove away.

* * *

The sky was dark outside of W.O.O.H.P headquarters as Scam's most hated activity that occurred on Christmas Eve was taking place. Gift Exchange. Sighing, Tim Scam stood at the front of his cell hell beyond annoyed as he watched others opening presents that had been sent to them from family, friends or other inmates. If this place had been bad to look at this morning it was downright nauseating now. The entire place was lit up and there were Christmas carols playing even louder now. Scam felt himself visibly twitching as he felt the swarm of emotion in the atmosphere. How he hated it.

Watching one man reading a Christmas card from his wife while she stood there smiling at him, Scam grimaced when he saw the tears in his eyes. "What an idiot," he spat as he stood in his solitary cell. Scam couldn't remember the last time he wasted time with reading cards and opening presents. It had to have been a long long time ago. Seeing more tears roll down the man's bearded face Scam rolled his eyes, irritated because he knew he never cried. These men needed to grow up or act more their age and they certainly needed to act more like the criminals that they were.

"Morons," he mumbled before moving to lay down and sleep because he sick of the sight he was being forced to see. He hadn't gotten any sleep today thanks to all the noise and he could hardly wait for it to be night-time so all this nonsense could draw to an end, at least for seven to eight hours so he could sleep before Christmas. In fact he had half a mind to escape tonight so he wouldn't have to deal with the tortures of Christmas morning greetings played over the PA system. _"Maybe I'll do that,"_ Scam thought with a sigh as he sat on his bed and closed his eyes. He was actually too annoyed at the moment to work any further on his plan to eliminate the spies and Jerry. Right now he just wanted some peace and quiet.

Standing in the middle of the prison facility Jerry smiled as he noticed the cheer of the season in even the darkest place at W.O.O.H.P. It seemed that everyone was able to extract some joy from the festivity. Smiling he walked around and silently surveyed the area. Hearing an annoyed sigh when he walked past a cell he turned his head and glanced at the man within. He immediately sighed when he saw Tim Scam sitting there with a glare on his face and nothing but annoyance on his features. It was obvious he wasn't enjoying this at all. _"Then again, Tim Scam has always hated Christmas,"_ Jerry thought with another sigh as he slowly came closer to the cell and stood before the man that once was one of his best agents. Jerry's old eyes sadly glanced at his unhappy face and he couldn't help but feel bad. Although he never admitted this to anyone he felt this exceptionally talented young man was throwing his life away. He knew Scam would never see it that way though. Tim Scam was known to be proud of his criminal life and would never see his criminal acts as anything but successes and achievements. Part of him couldn't help but wish that weren't so. Part of Jerry couldn't help but hope he would see the error in his ways some day.

Clearing his throat he quickly caught Scam's attention who looked up and immediately frowned when he saw Jerry outside his cell. _"What does he want?" _Scam growled in his thoughts as he stood up and came to the front of his cell. "Well, well, well..." Scam said in a mock happy tone. "Jerry Lewis, how nice of you to pay me an unwanted visit," he spat. Jerry sighed, looking down and instantaneously having regrets over having chosen to talk to Tim Scam. But he hadn't been able to help himself. He had seen how this year as well, every other criminal in this prison had received a card or gift of some kind but not Scam. Jerry knew why this was. Scam didn't have any family or friends and no one he knew would dare to get too close to him, Because everyone knew he was a dangerous, cruel and vicious man who was much too menacing and powerful for his years.

Mustering up his courage Jerry gave Scam a tired glance, not knowing what to say to him. "I see that you haven't gotten any greetings or presents this year as well," Jerry started slowly. Scam chuckled, leaning his hands against the glass of his cell and smirking. "Does it look like I'm complaining?" he said, throwing Jerry a pointed glance. Shaking his head Jerry sighed. "No." Scam only smirked harder at his response. "Well I'm glad you have some brains in that useless head of your's Jerry," he said rudely leaving the much older man to sigh yet again.

Looking Scam in the eye Jerry frowned sadly. "I only wish you would change Tim," he said shortly hoping albeit foolishly that Scam would hear him but Tim Scam did no such thing. He simply threw his head back and laughed loudly before looking at Jerry as if he were a mad man because he was wishing for the impossible. "Yes, well we all wish miracles would happen but they don't now, do they?" he said, responding to Jerry's thoughtful words. Looking away from the stubborn man Jerry shook his head as his mind went blank. He seriously didn't know why he even tried. Finding Jerry silent Scam smirked knowing the old man was done trying to get through to him. "Go home Jerry," Scam said, nodding his head towards the exit. "Go and celebrate with your friends and family... while you still have them," he said making Jerry frown as he delivered him a clear threat. Scam's smirk only widened at the sight of Jerry's tormented face. Chuckling he continued. "I can't promise I'll stay locked up here for you to enjoy Christmas day though."

Watching Scam for a long moment, Jerry sighed heavily before shaking his head in disappointment. Had he thought he could get anywhere with him? Turning, Jerry quickly told an agent to double the guard just in case Scam decided to act on his threat. There was just no taking chances with this man. Walking away, he sighed again. "Why had I ever thought he would listen?" Jerry mumbled. It was no wonder Tim Scam was what he was today, he would never change. He could never change. Why did he have to be stupid and feel merry and try and talk to Scam. It was obvious that man was beyond redemption and repair. _"It'll take a real miracle to change him," _Jerry thought before dismissing his thoughts and quietly leaving the prison facility.

Smirking at Jerry's clearly sad exit Scam proudly made his way back to his bed where he laid down and went back to attempting to ignore the sounds of celebration that were all around. But if he had looked up, just for a moment he would have easily seen that Jerry was not the only one who was shaking their head in disappointment as they watched him.

* * *

"Come on Alex let's go!" Clover screamed as she honked her horn, waiting for Alex to get in the car. She had a date with Blaine tonight so she wanted to get home and get dressed but first she was going to have to drive Alex to her mom's place because it seemed Carmen wasn't going to be able to pick her up as earlier planned. Alex, who was trying to persuade Sam to come with her shot Clover a glare. "I'm coming sheesh!" she screamed as she gave Sam a hug. "Aww come on Sammie, you're not doing anything tonight and it's Christmas Eve! Why don't you just come with me, my mom won't bother us too much, promise! We can go skating or something!" she said, trying to convince the reluctant redhead to tag along. Sam only smiled and shook her head at Alex's thoughtful attempts. "Thanks but it's okay, I'm just going to stay home and wrap some last minute gifts, maybe watch some Christmas specials on TV," she said, giving Alex a smile.

Sitting in the car Clover sighed. "No offence Sammie but that doesn't sound very fun. Alex is right you should go with her." Seeing Sam shake her head again Clover groaned. "Okay never mind, Alex's mom can be annoying and she'll probably pester you about getting a boyfriend too..." She went silent, thinking before she smiled brightly. "Wait I got it!" She said in excitement. "Why don't you come with me and Blaine? He has a friend who isn't busy tonight. We could do a double-date!" she said cheerfully but Sam only sighed. "I told you, I don't want a boyfriend," she said, annoyed. Clover sighed. 'Not a boyfriend Sammie, just one date. It'll be a hell of a lot more fun than watching Christmas shows and wrapping gifts...you've been doing that all week."

Going silent, Sam thought of a way to get her friend off her case. Smiling a second later she pulled out a small package from her pocket and held it out to Clover. "I'll be fine, here, Happy early Christmas," she said with a kind smile. Clover squealed in excitement and took the present with a grin, and Sam couldn't help but smirk when she realized the blonde wasn't concerned with her plans for tonight anymore. Quickly opening the gift Clover squealed again when she saw that Sam had given her a beautiful locket. "Oh my God Sam, this is soooo pretty! Thank you!" she said in excitement as she put it on right away. Sam nodded. 'You're welcome." Looking at both her friends she smiled. "Now go on you two or you're going to be late!" She said while pushing Alex towards the car. "I'll see you guys tomorrow at the W.O.O.H.P party," she said and both Clover and Alex grimaced at the thought before they gave the redhead a silent glance.

They really didn't understand how in one way or another Sam always made sure she was alone on Christmas Eve. They couldn't help but suspect she did it on purpose. Seeing her give them a little wave and a smile they brushed off their thoughts, waving her back and hoping Sam was really happy with being alone tonight. A moment after Clover started the car and drove away leaving Sam standing there on the pavement.

When her friends drove away Sam let her smile go and sighed sadly, the way she had been wanting to all day. She was finally alone. Putting her hands in her pockets Sam began walking towards her home which was nearby. If she got home fast enough she might even be able to see catch her parents before they went out to her father's business partner's Christmas party. Within twenty minutes Sam opened the door to her house and smiled at her mother who was dressed in a festive green gown and her father who was already putting on his coat to head outside. "Sam sweetie!" Gaby said joyfully as she gave her daughter a hug. "Happy Christmas Eve," she said and Sam smiled harder returning the greeting. Breaking the hug, Gaby held her daughter at arms length. "Are you sure you don't want to come to the business party? You know they aren't as boring as they sound," she said sadly, tying to persuade her daughter to come with her. She never felt happy about having to leave Sam alone on Christmas Eve but it still seemed to happen year after year.

For some unseen reason, ever since grade 9, Sam never went out on Christmas Eve and never attended any parties during the night. Sam shook her head. "I'm sure mom," she said softly before pulling away from her mother and moving to go upstairs. "I have a lot to do actually. I have cards to finish writing and gifts that still need to be packed," she said making both Gaby and her father, Shawn frown. They didn't understand how someone as organized and well-planned as their daughter could have gifts left to pack on the night before Christmas. It wasn't like her. "How many do you need to wrap?" her father asked, frowning and Sam turned to face him. "While my present wrapping skills aren't the best," he said sheepishly. "I wouldn't mind staying back for a bit and helping you out," he said, giving her a smile. Sam's eyes widened and she walked over quickly giving her dad a big hug, hardly believing how nice he was. "Thanks daddy, you're the best," she whispered before pulling away. "But I'm also tired," she said with a yawn. "I've been out all day shopping with Clover and Alex, I kind of want to sleep," she said with small shrug.

Watching her for a moment Shawn sighed. "Okay Sam, your choice I won't force you," he said making his daughter smile at his understanding. Moving to leave Shawn stopped at the doorway and glanced at Gaby who disappeared from the room for a moment and came back in with a package in her hands, a smile on her face. "Here Sammie," Gaby said while putting the box in Sam's hands who gave it a curious look. "Go on open it," her mother said and Sam nodded before opening the lid and gasping slightly as she pulled out a beautiful contrasting red satin dress with a rushed bodice and red embroidery. Holding the dress in her hands she glanced at her parents in wonder. Shawn smiled. "We were so confident you were going to come to the party that we even bought you a dress," her father said and Sam couldn't help but feel guilty. She almost wanted to forget her own sadness and go with them but she knew she couldn't.

Seeing their daughter looking guilty Gaby and Shawn laughed softly making her look up. "Don't look so sad honey," Gaby said. "You can always wear it tomorrow on Christmas when you go to Clover's party," she said and Sam nodded smiling, while knowing her mother was talking about the W.O.O.H.P party without knowing it. "Thanks mom and dad," Sam said gratefully as she raced up to them and gave them both a hug. Separating from them she opened the door and smiled. "Okay now you guys are getting late," she said while nodding towards the open the door. "Come on, go," she said making them both smile as they gave her one more glance before finally closing the door and leaving.

Hearing the door close, Sam let out a breath of relief. Her eyes glanced at the emptiness of her home and she felt at peace for the first time today. Soundlessly turning around she faced the staircase that led upstairs, about to go to her room before she stopped and got some candles and matches first. Holding them firmly in her hand she climbed the stairs and soon closed the door to her room. Walking inside Sam sat down on the floor in front of a table near by a window. Her hand moved around, arranging the five candles she had brought with her into a line of candleholders. Silently lighting a match she carefully lit the candles in turn and blew the match out when she was done. Staring at the candles for a moment she smiled sadly before kneeling on the carpet of her floor.

A moment later, Sam folded her hands together and closed her eyes. Then her lips moved slowly as she began to pray in the same way that she did every Christmas Eve for the last three years, while knowing that no one was listening to her prayers like always. With her eyes closed in reverence and concentration, and her ears filled with the sounds of her own whispers of prayer she missed the intensely bright light that was hovering right behind her in the window. This light lasted a moment longer as a lone figure watched her with a sad, sympathetic smile before it slowly vanished in a silent flutter of wings.

* * *

There was dead silence in the prisons as it struck midnight. All of the criminals were now sleeping. A calm, relaxed breath left Tim Scam's mouth. He lay on his prison bed, finally fast asleep after all the noise and carolling had come to an end. His head was pressed into his stiff pillow as he lay backwards on his front with one arm hanging off the side of the thin mattress dangling a little from time to time whenever he took a breath.

Studying this perfect picture of relaxation from outside his jail cell, a small figure rolled her eyes and sighed while trying to figure out how to wake him. She had been standing her for a few moments just watching over the man they called Tim Scam. From where she was standing she noted how he didn't look anywhere as evil as he was while sleeping, but she had been watching him for a while now. So long that even with her young eyes she knew that Tim Scam's features gave him a false innocence that was nothing more than a lie. Inside, he was a dark, unforgiving man that cared for no one but himself.

And that was exactly why she was here to see him.

Taking a deep breath, having figured out an idea on how to wake him she raised her small arm and slowly tapped the glass as loud as she could. Thankfully for her, Tim Scam truly had his famous hearing skills. He stirred almost immediately as she started the noises and she watched with a small smirk as he began to move more and more on his bed.

A tired groan left Scam's mouth as he pushed his head deeper into his pillow and attempted to hold onto his sleep that was fading away because of an annoying noise that sounded like tapping on glass. Sighing in frustration Scam kept his eyes closed as he reached down and pulled the blanket up as high as he could and covered his head to try and block out the noise. A smirk touched his lips when the noise stopped and he began settling back into his peaceful slumber only to growl when the noise came back. Only this time it was louder than before. _"What is that noise?"_ Scam thought, too tired and annoyed to actually open his eyes and check. It was probably some guard who was checking on prisoners and making more noise than necessary. It would stop eventually.

"Heyyyyyy! Hey Mister!" a small, squeaky voice suddenly screamed while the tapping got even louder and Scam stiffened on his bed. His eyes opened slowly while his head remained in his pillow. For some reason that voice didn't sound like a guard. It actually sounded like..._"A kid," _Scam thought, confused beyond words as he listened to the high-pitched shouting that sounded like a little girl. What was a little girl doing at W.O.O.H.P, in the prisons at this time? Scam's eyes narrowed. What was a little kid doing at W.O.O.H.P at all? Now curious, Scam slowly pushed his head up and turned around on his mattress so that he was sitting up. Rubbing his tired eyes he looked outside his jail cell to where he thought the noise was coming from. His eyes widened and he blinked in confusion at what he saw.

Outside his cell there appeared to be, indeed a little kid (as he guessed from its size). Blinking in confusion he rubbed his eyes again and focused on the tiny person. From where he sat he could see that she was wearing a pink winter coat, blue jeans and had her fur-trimmed hood pulled up over her head. All he could see of her head was small bunches of crimson hair that was sticking out from beyond her hood as she stood there banging on the door to his jail cell. Sitting up straighter he sighed in annoyance, wondering if she thought he was a fish at an aquarium. It certainly seemed that way by her repetitive tapping to get his attention.

Annoyed and wanting to sleep, he realized he had to deal with this kid who had appeared out of no where before he could because it didn't look she was leaving on her own. Sighing he stood up and stretched, running a hand through his hair as he walked to the front of his cell where the child was still knocking. "All right, cut it out!" he snarled as he reached her and she stopped knocking the moment he told her to. Thankful for the noise having stopped, Scam slowly crouched down to be at her level so he could get a better look at exactly who was daring to irritate him when he was trying to sleep. His eyes narrowed in confusion and frustration when he still couldn't see the child's face and after another moment of trying he decided it didn't really matter.

"What the hell...?" he muttered pressing his hand against the glass in front of her. "Where did you come from?" he asked, sounding as confused as he felt but she said nothing, simply standing there in complete silence. Rolling his eyes, Scam soon shook his head in disappointment. "Jerry's security is just getting pathetic now," he muttered, slightly unnerved at the fact that a tiny, barely 4 to 5 year-old girl had managed to make her way to HIS cell.

Hearing a playful giggle his eyes widened when he realized that she was laughing. He blinked, feeling lost as she let out another laugh in the next moment. A small, childish giggle. Reaching up she slowly pulled her hood down revealing short, red hair set in a bob cut, pale, white skin, a small, curved nose, a pouty mouth, and big, green, eyes sparkling with innocence. As he stared at her in bewilderment she grinned, cocking her head to the side and raised a small, mittened hand giving him a cheerful wave. "Hello!" She said joyfully and Scam sat there staring at her with confusion written all over his face. Who on earth was this kid?

Watching her standing there staring at him he raised an eyebrow while trying to figure out exactly where she had popped up from. _"Is she some other criminal's kid? Maybe someone careless woman left her behind during visits..." _he thought while studying the kid who was still looking at him only. Blinking sleepily he brought his head as close to her as he could with the glass in between, and took a better look at her face trying to see if he could match her features up with another inmate's. If he could figure out who her father was, maybe he could get rid of her by showing her to him. After a moment of staring at her face his eyes narrowed when he noticed how familiar this little girl looked. Wondering where he had seen that face before his eyes widened, his jaw slightly falling open as he now recognized her emerald eyes and red hair, though shorter, styled in the same way as only one other person's usually was. "..Sam?" he said slowly, it coming out in a confused whisper because this didn't make sense. Sam was a fully grown woman not a little kid.

_"...But she looks so much like her," _he thought, disgruntled. Biting his cheek he peered into the child's eyes as she watched him innocently and a moment later he pulled back in shock. "...You can't be Sam," he said firmly before standing up and crossing his arms over his chest. This didn't make any sense. Yet he couldn't ignore the fact that she looked so much like the redheaded spy. "What happened?" he asked while his eyes remained on the staring child who hadn't said she wasn't Sam. Then another thought made his face light up in amusement. "Wait..." he said a smirk growing on his lips. "Did one of Jerry's gadgets malfunction on you, and now you're stuck baby-sized?" he asked, before letting out a laugh as this was probably what had most likely had happened.

Listening to his happy laughter the girl placed her hands on her hips and gave him a pout. "I'm not Sam..." she said, sounding peeved. "Not really anyway." Scam, held one hand over his mouth, trying to control his laughter and once he got a hold on it he cast the kid another amused look. "Okay," he said softly. "Hmmm... her little sister then?" he asked insightfully before he gave the four-year old a predatory smirk. "You know you should get out while you can kid..." he said threateningly, rubbing his hands together while eyeing her greedily. "I could hold you hostage," his smirk widened on his face as he thought about that plan. Sam, being the caring girl she was, would give him anything for her sweet, little baby sister. His eyes glazed over in thought. W.O.O.H.P would give him anything he wanted. Hearing the child huff Scam snapped out of his evil thoughts to look at her again.

"I'm not Miss Simpson's sister!" she shouted defiantly, making him raise an eyebrow. 'Well then who are you?...A cousin? You know it really doesn't matter," he said with a shrug, his smirk still on his lips because he was now intent on kidnapping this kid. "As long as you're a part of Sam's family..." he explained while watching her glare. "She will want you back and she would give up any-"

Scam's words suddenly came to a halt and his breath caught in his throat as the child's entire form began to fade and soon all that was left was a dull outline. Staring with widened eyes, Scam took a small step back when the faded form began to float in the air, a foot off the floor and soon it was moving closer and closer to the front of his cell. In the next moment he watched in shock as the figure passed right through the front of the prison door and settled back down on the ground. When it landed, the form became solid again and soon the child who has just been outside his jail cell was now standing right in front of him. Blinking a few times, Scam shook his head not willing to believe that had just happened. _"I'm obviously seeing things,"_ he thought while he watched the kid take a few steps closer and soon he was slowly walking back, not really knowing what he was up against.

When the backs of his legs touched the metal frame of his bed he stiffened not believing he had actually walked back this far. Stopping, he glared at the child. "Okay, who are you and what do you want?" he asked stiffly, having had enough. He wasn't scared of a cute, little thing like her. The girl crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him with interest. "I am a ghost, and I'm here to see you," she said bluntly leaving him to raise an eyebrow and shake his head. "Seriously, the sense of humour some kids have," he muttered tiredly. Pouting she shook her head. "This is not a joke!" Scam rolled his eyes. "Right," he spat before ignoring her and sitting down on the edge of his bed. He watched her for a long moment before he let out a sigh. He was too tired to deal with a toddler right now. "Go away," he said firmly before swinging his legs up and laying down, spreading the blanket over his body and closing his eyes.

Watching him with a pout the girl began screaming. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked, shocked that he was outright ignoring her. Scam chuckled, propping his head up on an elbow and looking at her for a second. "What does it look like kid? I'm sleeping," he said shortly before he pulled the blanket over his head and closed his eyes. Scam kept his eyes closed and soon he was as relaxed as ever. After ten minutes he turned to his side, trying to make himself more comfortable when he paused, thinking he heard a sound that sounded like a small sigh. He carefully opened one eye and was surprised to see that the figment of his imagination was still standing there pouting at him. "...You're still here?" he asked slowly, wonder in his tone. The child shrugged." I told you I'm not leaving," she said stubbornly while giving him a glare. Sighing, Scam opened his other eye and tucked his arms under his head while he looked up at the ceiling. "Seriously, don't you have other things to do?" he asked, speaking to his strange visitor. "Fun things?" he said, before focussing his gaze on her and raising an eyebrow. "You know...things that kids your age do?" The girl only sighed while kicking the floor in a tired way. "I told you, I'm a ghost," she mumbled. Shaking his head Scam didn't understand why she was so bent on calling herself a ghost. _"I must be dreaming,"_ he thought, it being the only thought that seemed logical at the moment.

Sighing he turned his head away from her to stare back at the ceiling. "I've had some weird dreams before but this is ridiculous," he muttered while hoping that now that he had realized this was a dream the kid would vanish. But nothing of the sort happened and she simply gave him an angry glare before waving her hands in the air dramatically. "THIS IS NOT A DREAM!" Scam chuckled at her antics. "No you're right kid..." he whispered. "It's quickly turning into a nightmare," he said with a smirk. He watched her pout sadly before she sighed. "So you're convinced this isn't happening?" she asked, sounding defeated. Scam gave her a little nod. "Yes." Closing her mouth she nodded slowly before walking over to him and placing her hand over his arm, her tiny fingers crawling near his elbow and Scam watched in confusion, being shocked that he could feel this illusion's touch. A surprised grunt left his mouth and he glared in surprise when she suddenly pinched him. Hearing him grunt she grinned knowing she had made her point." See you're wide awake!" she said, clapping her hands together.

Rubbing his arm, he mentally cursed at the little girl who was annoying him to no end. "Go away," he mumbled grumpily. Giving him an innocent look she pretended to tremble. "Oooh, what if I don't?" Scam gave her a predatory look, making sure to let the bloodlust rise in his eyes." I don't ordinarily hurt kids but I may have to make an exception..." he growled. She watched him, her mouth curving into a small smirk as she took a small step back, giving him the impression that she was afraid. "Go ahead mister," she said teasingly while rocking back and forth on her heels. "Take your best shot."

Surprised at her nerve, Scam glared before sitting up, grabbing his pillow and throwing it at the kid only to watch her smirk and fade out, letting the pillow hit the wall of the cell before she faded back into existence and smirked harder. A small frown of concern formed on his face as he sat there now growing just a little worried. This was the second time she had done this and he was beginning to wonder how she was pulling it off. "..How did you do that?" he asked, working hard to keep the shock out of his arrogant tone.

Coming closer to him she kept smirking. "You know who can disappear in midair?" she asked, pausing dramatically to get his attention while she floated up and leaned into his ear, cupping her hands around it before she whispered. "Ghosts." Scam blinked and shook his head not willing to believe the nonsense this kid was making up. "...So can holograms," he said defiantly leaving her to gasp while she fluttered down and perched on the edge of his bed and for a few seconds he was afraid she would fall until she sat down. "I look like a hologram to you?" she asked, giving him a sad pout and looking heartbroken. "Well you sure as hell DO NOT look like a ghost!" he growled before sighing. Running a hand through his hair he tried to calm down. A moment later he gave her a little pointed look. "Speaking of which...have you ever even seen a ghost?" he asked with a little chuckle. "Heh. Probably not. If you had you wouldn't be roaming around an empty building all alone."

Ignoring his rudeness the girl placed her hands on her hips and gave him a glare. "I'm tired of fooling around Mr. Scam," she said warningly while watching him raise an eyebrow. "How do you know my name?" he asked making her shake her head in disappointment. For someone this smart he sure asked a lot of dumb questions. "I'm the ghost of Christmas past," she said, her tone official as she looked him in the eye. "And there is a lot we need to talk about." Watching her in disbelief Scam shook his head. "Okay, this is obviously a very bad dream," he said dismissingly as he pulled his blanket over his head and aimed to sleep only to hear the child speak again."...Is it?" the girl asked innocently and Scam poked his head out of the blanket to nod. "Yes." The little girl's mouth formed a tiny smirk. "So..." she said walking around the edge of the bed and poking him in the shoulder. "You dream about Miss Simpson often?"

Stiffening on the spot, Scam watched the girl with a hateful glare." Why would I dream about "Miss Simpson"?" he asked, placing heavy amounts of emphasis on the name and sounding peeved. She sighed. 'How would I know? I'm just a kid!" she screamed with a pout, before pointing an accusing finger at him." It was YOU who said this was a dream so I assumed you dreamt about her often!" she said, waving her tiny arms in the air for effect. Scam smirked at her, while ignoring how cute she looked while putting on her little performance. "Well if you are just as kid..." he said, sitting up and watching her carefully. "What are you doing with an evil criminal hmm?" Holding her small forehead she sighed, looking very stressed before she screamed. "I'm doing my job!" Taking a good look at her 2 and a 1/2 foot frame Scam smirked harder. "You're too small for a job, kid." Putting her tiny hands on her waist she looked just about ready to rip out her hair. "I told you mister! I'm an angel!"

Throwing his head back he laughed for a few moments, thoroughly amused before he began laying back down. "Yes, I'm sure your mommy thinks so," he said, letting his back touch the mattress. "Now run along. Go," he said before turning the other way and facing a wall only to groan when she fluttered over and sat on his left shoulder. Looking down at him pointedly she frowned. "I'm seriously serious Mr. Scam. I am not going anywhere and we need to talk." Scam rolled his eyes towards the weightless figure on his shoulder. "Fine," he muttered realizing she wasn't just going to leave him alone. "What do you want to talk about?" Giving him a smile now that he was behaving she rubbed her hands together. "Well I'm the ghost the ghost of Christmas past, there are two more ghosts, "she said counting off her fingers. "The ghost of Christmas present and hmm..." she bit her lip in thought. "Oh yea! Future, Christmas future!" she said enthusiastically. "They're going to be stopping by too," she said while patting his stiff shoulder.

Watching her doubtfully, Scam yawned tiredly. So..." he started slowly. "I'm going to be visited by 3 "ghosts" as you like to call them. And they are going to show my past, present and future?" he said before chuckling. "You know this sounds an awful lot like that story...what's it called hmm.." "A Christmas Carol," she answered for him. "Right." He smirked. "And I'm assuming I'm Scrooge," he said looking a hundred percent amused. Giving him a pout and a glare she shook a tiny fist in his direction. "If that thought amuses you mister, you certainly are!" Chuckling at her words he smirked. "That's right kiddo, I'm a Scrooge and a lot worse actually," he gave her a warning glance. "Do you know I've killed well over a hundred people?" he said, boasting a little to scare her away.

Rolling her eyes she realized this genius didn't understand how spirits worked. She already knew this and many other facts about him. "First of all," she said in annoyance. "The number is 57 so stop being a little liar!" she screamed, correcting his murder count and making his eyes widen at the fact that she knew. "And secondly," she whispered while poking his nose with her index finger. "I'm sorry Mr. Scam, you just don't scare me." Huffing, he raised a hand and brushed his nose. "That's because you don't know me," he muttered.

Hearing his words she stayed silent for a long moment before she floated off his shoulder and hovered in the air above his head. "I know you better than you think," she whispered before she swooped down and grabbed hold of his hand pulling on it as if telling him to follow her. 'What are you doing?" he asked, wondering why she suddenly wanted him to stand up. The little ghost bit her lip, watching him carefully. Considering what a big disbeliever this man was she figured she should just start showing him what she had to before she ran out of time. "Follow me," she said demandingly making him stand and walk to the front of the cell with her. Holding onto his hand tightly she smirked, closing her eyes and Scam's eyes widened when he felt his own body becoming weaker and weaker and looking at the clear wall before him he noticed how his image was fading fast into a blur.

Seconds later both him and the child had stepped out of the prison and were standing, solid on the other side. Shaking his head slightly to ward off the effect he gave the girl who was still holding his hand an impressed glance. "Well that was convenient." He smirked. "I'll tell you what kid, you tell me how you did that and I won't hold you hostage okay? Deal?" he said slightly shaking her hand and she rolled her eyes in agony. "For the umpteenth time!" she whined, looking at him crossly. "I told you I'm a ghost! Ghosts can walk through walls! Duh!" Scam nodded slowly to humour her. "Ohhhh...Oh right you're a ghost." He said, letting his face don an innocent expression. "I forgot, my bad," he said while rolling his eyes and letting her know just what he thought about her ghost theory.

Noticing his impolite eye roll the girl looked at him accusingly. "Mr. Scam, I'm shocked." The little ghost said making him raise an eyebrow. "About what?' he asked wondering what she was going on about now. "Well..." she said softly. "I had thought someone with your IQ level would know a ghost when he sees one..." She sighed. "But I guess I was wrong," she said, turning her little nose up and shaking her head in mock sadness. Scam silently smirked at the IQ compliment. "I don't care how many times you tell me you're a ghost," he said stubbornly. "I'm not buying it." Pouting for a moment the girl suddenly tightened her grip on Scam's hand. "Well then," she said calmly. "I'll just prove it to you," she said before closing her eyes and Scam was about to ask her what she meant when suddenly his body felt weak again and any words he had been thinking to say were lost. His eyes closed on their own and his body felt cold, his head spun around and he felt as if he was on a rollercoaster before everything came to a sudden halt and control returned to his body. When his eyes finally opened Scam was shocked to see he was standing outside, ankle-deep in snow. '..How did you-"

"So you've never celebrated Christmas right?" she asked, interrupting his question. Still disoriented Scam slowly shook his head. "Right. I never had time for such a pointless holiday," he said and the girl slowly nodded her head. "Do you recognize this place?" she asked pointing across the street. Frowning in confusion Scam looked up the snowy street about to say it was just a random street in Los Angeles when he froze at the sight of the large house that was standing in front of him. His mouth sealed itself as his eyes landed on the address that was written on a golden plaque and he shook his head in disbelief. This couldn't be…

"Mr. Scam?" the kid asked while tugging his hand. 'What's wrong, don't recognize your own home?" she said leaving him to frown deeper as confusion thrummed at his mind. _"How is this possible?" _he thought, now more confused than ever as he took a quick glance at the kid who no longer seemed ordinary. "_This house was demolished years ago, right after mom and dad-" _

His thoughts were interrupted when the house was suddenly surrounded by light and soon it was decorated for Christmas in every way, then the image of a man, slightly older than he was right now flickered into view. Next to him appeared a little boy, and in front of them a snow fort that they seemed to be working on. When the light faded Scam's jaw tensed, his eyes wide from shock, his breath stuck in his throat as he recognized the man and the little boy. The man was his… father…and the little boy….

'_It's me,"_ he thought, easily remembering the leather jacket his father had bought him for his 5th birthday. It was one of the last presents he had ever received. Silent, Scam's eyes remained glued to the people before him as he stood paralyzed in shock, in disbelief while watching a scene from his childhood play out in front of his eyes.

A 34-year-old Aaron Scam chuckled as he picked up his 5-year-old son. Smiling at his boy, Aaron gave him an amused yet fatherly glance. "You do realize that your mommy doesn't like you playing out in the snow for too long, right?" Timmy pouted at his father only making him chuckle again as he ruffled his son's hair.

From in front of the man and the child, Tim Scam stood invisible, frozen in place as he watched his father and listened to his voice. It had been years since he had heard that voice. 25 years to be exact. The experience was hard to put into words. Staring at his dad, Scam noted how much he did indeed look like his father. He had forgotten how much, never having opened a family album (god knew where those where or if he even had any) in years, and the image he had had of his dad in his memory was from the perspective of a child's. Looking at him know he saw the similarity in their features and couldn't help but feel pride when he remembered he had an exact replication of the sea-foam eyes that his father also had.

From next to him the little girl noticed Scam staring at the slightly older man before them with peace on his features, something that was a more than rare sight. She also noticed how quiet he was, no longer badmouthing or smirking as he had been from the moment she had arrived. Taking her hand out of the pocket of her winter coat she tugged on his leg, gripping the cloth of his jeans in her tiny hand and drawing his attention. When he looked at her, his eyes were glazed over in thought as she gave him a little smile. "Mr. Scam?" she said cutely while still tugging on his leg to keep his attention on her. "You were close to your daddy weren't you?" she asked excitedly, while batting her big innocent eyes.

Scam's expression of peace and nostalgia, changed into a neutral look on his face and he bit his cheek before he revealed his true thoughts to this child. Before he accidentally told her that his father had been his best friend. Letting out a breath to sort out his thoughts and watching the air dance in front of him in white wisps of smoke he shook his head. 'I've never been close to anyone," he said coldly, before stiffly turning away from the man and the child so he couldn't see them any longer. He could hardly believe he was seeing them in the first place.

"Anyway…why am I here?" he asked with his back turned to his childhood home, his child self and his father. From behind him the little girl sighed because even though he would never say it she could tell he had turned away because it hurt him too much to see what he had lost. Watching his back, slowly tears rolled down her chubby cheeks because whether or not he would ever see it, he was still in pain. And she, the embodiment of someone who cared for him deeply, knew it. Wiping away her tears she moved to walk in front of him. "I brought you here for a reason…" she whispered before taking his hand and making him turn back to face his past. Hiding his reluctance behind a expressionless facade, Scam turned around and watched his father with unblinking eyes as he listened in on a conversation he had never forgotten.

Little Tim Scam smiled brightly as he packed some fresh snow on a weaker area of the fort while his dad watched him silently. "That fort is huge," Aaron said making his son grin proudly. "Yea! But I want to make it bigger!" he said determined as he kept hard at work.

Hearing the little girl next to him squeal Scam tore his eyes away to notice the child ghost smiling. "Aww you were so cute!" Scam blinked, still in a daze before he watched her with a raised eyebrow. "I thought I was an evil, meany who should have been named Scrooge," he said, referring to the impression he had gotten off the child's earlier words. Sighing, she turned and shook a finger at him. "Ah ah ah Mr. Scam. I said you WERE cute as a KID," she said before pointing back to the scene before them and forcing Scam to pay attention even though he was clearly hesitating to do so.

Standing in silence Scam watched his father and himself working on the fort for a while before he began to wonder exactly why she had brought him here. His confusion faded the moment his mother, Jennifer Scam come outside, dressed in her winter coat looking ready to leave the house and his eyes widened in agony as he remembered just what night of his life this girl had chosen to show him. One of the worst nights of his life.

Feeling him let go of her hand the girl bit her lip, watching Scam because she knew he had just realized what was about to happen. Scam stayed silent while watching his mother race over to his young self and adjust his hat and scarf. "It's freezing out here," she said sounding concerned as she fussed over him. "Mommy I'm fine!" Timmy said with a little pout on his lips. Standing there watching his mother Scam found that he couldn't remember the last time anyone had cared for him. _'..Not that it matters of course,"_ he reminded himself as he kept watching.

Jennifer Scam shook her head. "Oh no you're not fine, look your nose is red," she said making him sigh. "That's because it's cold!" His mother only smirked. "Aha, so it is cold then?" she said with a smirk. Blushing from embarrassment and realizing his mother had worked him into her trap Timmy pouted. "…It's not that cold," he said making his mother laugh as she wrapped him in a hug. "Well cold or not honey, you're going to have to come inside. You know me and your daddy need to go visit Uncle David." The child in the woman's arms stiffened and standing next to the little ghost Tim Scam's body stiffened in an eerily similar way, something she noticed but didn't comment on.

"Not uncle David!" Timmy protested. "I don't like him, he doesn't like daddy!" Jennifer smiled sadly while lifting her son's chin. "I know sweetheart, but it's Christmas, he's my brother and I visit every year," she said effectively silencing her son. Aaron came over and picked his son up in an attempt to make him happier. "Hey kiddo, we'll be back before you know it," he said but nothing made his son's sad frown fade. "Don't go please dad?" Timmy said, slightly clutching onto his father's coat but his father shook his head. "I can't let your mommy go alone, can I?" he said and Tim reluctantly shook his head. "But what about the fort?" he asked, sadly glancing at the half-finished work. Smiling tenderly Aaron put his son down. "I'll tell you what, we'll finish it as soon as I get back okay? I promise. We'll be back soon." Tim stayed quiet for a moment before he nodded and gave his dad a smile. "Okay!" he said before racing inside the house, greeting his baby-sitter before he went and stood at the large window that let him see the driveway so he could wave his parents bye.

Smiling Aaron dusted the snow of his coat before leading his wife to the car. A moment later the car started and moved out of the driveway and both Aaron and Jennifer stopped to wave at their son. Pressing his face against the window until his nose was almost squished, Timmy raised his hand, smiling brightly while waving his mother and father bye as the car drove away.

In the next few seconds the image before Tim Scam's eyes faded away and soon he was left there, standing in front of an empty plot of land where his house, his parents had just been. Blinking to wash the images away Scam took a moment to turn and glance at the little girl who was standing there observing him silently. "You miss your parents?" she said, but it sounded more like a known fact than a question. Removing all traces of misplaced emotion from his face Scam shook his head. "I can't even remember them," he said with a small chuckle. The little girl sighed not knowing why he couldn't admit how he really felt. Or maybe he hadn't seen the way his eyes had grown sadder the moment the image of his happy family had vanished_? "He saw it and doesn't wanna admit it,"_ she thought, seeing through his false smirk and impassive facade. It was obvious he didn't want to remember what it felt like to love someone, to be loved by someone. A feeling he seemed to have forgotten well over the years, so much so that the word love no longer existed as anything more than a useless word in his mind. _"If only Mr. Scam knew how loved he truly is..." _she thought watching him with another sigh before she looked up at the stone-faced man sadly.

"You know what happened after that…don't you?" she asked him and Scam looked down at the snow that was near his feet. He couldn't forget if he wanted to but he wasn't about to admit the most painful memory he had to this…spirit. "No," he said, shaking his head while his face began hardening again. Watching him the little girl shook her head. "You're lying Mr. Scam," she said making his eyes widen because his lies never got caught. Walking closer to him she crossed her arms over her chest and watched him with knowing eyes. "You're lying just like you lied to me about never celebrating Christmas," she said leaving him to look at her with his eyes widened even more. Finding him quiet the child continued. "When you were five years old Christmas was your favouritest holiday. You loved it, you looked forward to the next Christmas the moment the last one was over," she whispered while keeping her gaze locked on his widened one. "There was nothing that meant more to you than Christmas Mr. Scam."

Shaking his head Scam gave her pointed look. "I hate Christmas," he said, his jaw tense and his eyes angry and the little girl shook her head. "Yea, you do now," she said, looking him right in the eyes as she went on. "You've hated Christmas ever since you were six years old…do I have really have to tell you the reason why?" Watching him standing there not admitting anything the ghost sighed before taking his hand and closing her eyes again. The wind rushed past him again and this time Tim Scam opened his eyes in his uncle's home on the Christmas when he was 6 years old. Looking away from the little girl he silently grimaced at the memory.

This Christmas was nothing like the one the year before. The house was decorated but it was clearly for show as Scam remembered as he saw a little boy standing, peeking in through a doorway at his uncle, David Smit.

Timmy sighed, no happiness on his face as he stood there watching his uncle speaking to a business partner of his before he came towards the door and he took a frightened step back just as David burst through the doorway and threw him a hateful glare. Muttering under his breath his uncle ignored the 6-year-old and quickly put on his coat and moved towards the door that led outside. "Stay in the house, your babysitter will be over shortly," Smit said not even turning his head to see his nephew's face as he moved to leave. Sighing Timmy tried to ignore the loneliness he felt as he was about to be left alone. Again. "Uncle Smit?" he asked, mustering up his courage. "What?" the man almost barked leaving him to gulp.

"…How come we aren't doing anything for Christmas?" he asked and soon a hateful, angry glare was on David's face as he turned towards his nephew. Soon he was walking over to the small boy in fast, predatory steps , his hand raised to strike at him but Tim shrunk back in time having had enough practice by now. "You stupid bastard!" his uncle snarled. "My sister, your mother died last Christmas! And you want a celebration!" he screamed and Timmy gulped dryly before quickly shaking his head in an attempt to calm his raging uncle. He didn't want to get beaten up on Christmas.

"Yea you better be saying no," David spat before the sudden ringing of his phone led him to calm down. Taking the call and realizing he was getting late for his office party he gave his nephew one more hateful glare. "Why couldn't you have died with your goddamned father instead of my sister?" he spat leaving the child's eyes to widen. "Stay in the house," David said again before slamming the door shut and leaving his nephew standing there all alone. After his uncle left Timmy's face fell even more and slowly tears began to form in his sea-foam eyes. In the next moment the small boy ran outside into the backward, barefoot, tears running down his face as he collapsed onto the snow. His head pressed into the ice and his hot, angry tears kept flowing, slowly melting the ice until he cried himself to sleep.

In a few seconds the image faded away and Scam stood there on a dark street, his jaw slack and his fists curled at his sides. Even today he remembered how that was the first time in his life he had felt like killing someone. When the girl next to him let out a breath, he twitched remembering he wasn't alone, before artfully turning it into a careless muscle stretch. Turning his head towards the child after he had gotten a hold of his feelings Scam was shocked to see tears running down her face. She stood there, her eyes bloodshot while she sobbed. "Why…why was your uncle so mean?" she asked, still crying and Scam bit his cheek. _"I wish I knew," _he thought. "You were so sad," she muttered still crying but Scam quickly erased the vision of that boy crying from his thoughts. It wasn't him. He never cried.

Looking at the crying girl he spoke firmly. "He didn't have time for me and I was too naïve to understand that," he crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged. "That doesn't make him a mean person," he said dismissingly never seeing her staring back at him in confusion. The little girl stared at him in shock not understanding what this man was made out of. After having seen it with her own eyes she knew just how heartbroken he had been at six years old. His uncle was one of the first reasons why his transformation from a happy, caring boy into a ruthless, cruel man had begun. A glare touched her normally calm face. He was one of the reasons why Tim Scam didn't have the ability to care for those people…for the one person who cared for him with all their heart.

Wiping away her tears she bit her lip and nodded to herself knowing now was the time to begin unravelling exactly why she was here, in this particular form to meet Tim Scam. "You know Mr. Scam…" she started slowly. "You aren't the only one who used to love Christmas and started to hate it because of a hurtful memory." Raising an eyebrow Scam stared at the little child. "Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself?" he said. "I never said a hurtful memory made me hate Christmas, I just hate celebration in general," he muttered offhandedly but the little girl threw him a small glare. "Are you seriouslyyyyyy gonna stand there and lie that your mommy and daddy…passing away on Christmas day, at the hands of stupid drunk driver has nothing to do with how you feel about it?" she asked, blinking sadly and Scam's jaw twitched at the question and at how much she knew. "..Fine," he admitted sounding annoyed for having had to. 'It does, so what's you point?"

The little ghost smiled now having finally made some progress with the adamant man. "Like I was saying…you aren't the only one who used to love Christmas," she said before quickly taking his hand, not giving him the chance to protest his love for the holiday in question, and transporting him to another place. When his eyes opened Scam glanced around not recognizing the heavily, decorated home he was standing in. Sensing his confusion the little girl reached up and tugged his arm before directing his attention to a little girl who was sitting on her mother's lap. Scam's eyes widened when he noticed the girl sitting there dressed in an angel outfit, barely four years old, smiling as she bounced up and down on her mother's lap. She looked identical to the girl who was standing next to him and he quickly realized, when he saw the mother's face that both images were of his sworn enemy Samantha Simpson. But he couldn't figure out why.

With narrowed eyes, Scam watched the toddler Sam chew on a cookie and he couldn't help but laugh at the image. "What?" the little girl next to him asked with confusion on her face. Scam smirked. "Who knew someone who looked so innocent as a child could grow up to be such a pain," he said still laughing a little. Frowning the little ghost rolled her eyes. "Hmm that's funny Mr. Scam, I was wondering the same thing about you," she said forcing him to stop laughing. Growling silently at the girl who has just ruined his small moment of amusement Scam sighed tiredly. "Remind me again WHY am I being forced to watch my enemy?" Trying not to cringe at the word he used to describe Sam Simpson the little girl sighed. "Because she's another person who loved Christmas just like you did!" Scam rolled his eyes. "There are a million people out there who love Christmas, why do I have to watch her celebrating?" he asked, sounding peeved and at that one moment the ghost wanted to forget about the innocent child she had seen him as and kick him for his words.

"Because…Mr. Scam," she almost spat. "Miss Simpson is special," she said with a little affirmative nod. Chuckling at her response Scam looked at her teasingly. "Just because she looked like a little sunshine in childhood like you do, that doesn't make her special," he said and the little girl slapped her forehead in exasperation before she shot him a glare. "Okay Mr. Meany," she said not surprised when he smirked at his new name. "Just close that big mouth of yours and pay attention!" She said demandingly while placing her hands on her small hips and Scam raised an eyebrow knowing that if he hadn't already tried to whack this girl with a pillow not to long ago he would have tried to throw something at her for daring to order him around like this. Seeing her flicker in and out of existence again, and his surroundings change from the interior of a home to an empty street, he decided against it choosing to look at what she was trying to show him instead. Soon the image that was before his eyes changed into another one of the redheaded spy's past Christmases.

A 9-year old Sam smiled as she tiptoed into her parents' bedroom. With a huge grin on her face she stood in front of the bed and cleared her throat. "Mom, Dad wake up!" she screamed suddenly causing Shawn and Gaby Simpson to shoot up from the mattress, startled looks on their faces as they watched their only daughter in surprise. Catching his breath Shawn leaned back against the headboard while watching his giggling daughter. "All right Sammie, what is it?" Gasping, Sam put her hands on her waist. "Daddy! Don't you remember what day it is?" she asked in shock and Shawn shook his head, muffling a chuckle. "Why don't you tell us sweetheart?" Sam sighed, slapping her forehead. "Honestly daddy," she said with a pout. "It's Christmas! Wake up already!" she said with her eyes shining so brightly with excitement that even Scam could see the emotion clearly.

"We have presents to open! And Clover and Ally are going to come over soon too! And I need to try on my dress for the party!" She whined, her long braid bobbing behind her as she spoke quickly. Gaby smiled. "Darling it's 9:00 am, we have a lot of time," she said softly but Sammie only sighed. "Mommy please," she muttered with a pout. "You never have enough time to celebrate Christmas! It's only one day, and... and it ends so quickly!" she protested. "I don't want to waste a second! Now come on!" she whined again before going over to her father's side and tugging on his arm, trying to pull him out of bed because she clearly couldn't wait to start celebrating her favourite holiday.

Standing on the dark street and staring at the image projected on the street before him, Scam shook his head in annoyance not understanding why he was stuck here, having to watch his enemy celebrating while he could barely keep his eyes open from lack of sleep. Turning to look at the little girl who was smiling adoringly at the image Scam sighed heavily. "Okay kid, what's the point of this?" he asked, heavy amounts of annoyance and boredom in his tone. Sighing in disappointment the tiny ghost turned her head from the image of the bright, happy girl to face the angry, cynical man. Staring at his frustrated face she decided not to try to explain why she was showing him what she was because she knew that he wouldn't get it. Not yet anyway.

Ignoring him she raised an arm and changed the image again and this time Samantha Simpson appeared as a 13 year old teenager, standing, smiling at the centre of a Christmas party that was in full swing. Trying to keep from exploding from irritation Scam let his eyes trail over the image, his eyes bored as he watched Samantha talking chirpily to her best friends, his others two enemies Clover and Alex. Again, he failed to see what the point behind this was. About to complain he stopped when he saw the child's glare and he grumbled under his breath. _"What a slave driver,"_ he thought, describing the kid who looked like Sam for reasons he couldn't figure out before returning his eyes to the scene before him.

Standing there he quietly noted how excited Sam looked as she gossiped with her friends, sipping her soft drink while her eyes flickered over to the mistletoe hanging at the doorway of Clover's house. Her eyes lit up when she noticed a couple get caught under it and were by tradition compelled to kiss.

Eyes burning at the image, Scam sighed not enjoying her happiness, or the happiness of the other teens at the party one bit. Waiting for a moment longer Scam frowned before deciding he had finally had enough. "That's it, I've seen enough," he muttered. "Take me back to my jail cell so I can sleep," he demanded but the little ghost only shook her head before responding in a naggy voice, "Nope! Not until I'm done showing you what I need to!" she said arrogantly, shaking a finger towards him, leaving Scam to raise an eyebrow. Ignoring the ghost who was ordering him around Scam smirked. "Fine, I'll walk," he said arrogantly before turning around and leaving her there as he glanced at the street he was on, realizing he didn't know it but having confidence in the fact that his excellent sense of navigation would lead him back home. Thanks to this...strange child, he had gotten out of prison with no effort and tomorrow he wouldn't have to watch Christmas day festivities. Scam had only taken a few steps when he was shocked to feel a snowball hit him square in the back and he didn't have to turn around to know it was the little angel (more like a demon at the moment) who had thrown it.

Ignoring the cold he suddenly felt, Scam smirked as he kept walking only to feel two more snowballs hit his back and now he was beginning to get annoyed. Turning with a heated glare Scam frowned at the little spirit who had been pelting him with snow. "It's a good thing you're already dead," he muttered leaving the girl to gasp, something he chuckled at only to grunt when a snowball hit him square in the face. Shocked, his face still covered in snow Scam glared while listening to the little girl laughing in pure amusement. Wiping away the snow he saw her standing there doing a fist pump. "Score!" she screamed, before sticking her tongue out at him and before he could control himself Scam was chasing the little tyke down the street intent on making her pay. Smirking when she reached a dead end Scam was about to grab her when she flew up and above his head and landed on the other side and Scam was again reminded that this was no ordinary child.

"Now if you're done playing tag," she muttered while pouting. "I have something you have to see and I'm not letting you run away until you see it," she said determinedly and Scam sighed, dropping his head. "You've been showing me pointless things for over an hour now," he growled, glancing dangerously at the little kid. "Stop trying my patience, you won't like me when I get angry," he threatened but she only huffed. "Puh-lease Mr. Scam! Can you stop with the empty threats? You know you can't hurt me already!" she said, making him cringe at the fact before another image flickered onto the pavement.

Putting her Grade 9 science textbook in a drawer where it wouldn't be opened for at least a few days, Sam Simpson smiled while her eyes flew to the calendar on her wall. A circle marked the date. December 25th, 2008. Groaning at the fact that he was watching another Christmas celebration Scam sighed, hating the holiday even more as he watched his redheaded enemy pick up a gift box wrapped in red and black wrapping paper and grin. "This will be the best Christmas ever," she said, pure joy in her voice as she clutched the box in her hands and ran her finger over the name tag, blushing right after.

Eyes, narrowed Scam watched the dream-like state she was in as she grinned, blushing harder as just stood there doing nothing else but holding the present close to her chest and sighing contently. To be honest he had never seen her look this happy in the three years he had known her and he couldn't help but wonder what it was about the wrapped present that was making her smile this much. In the next moment Sam was humming happily under her breath as she placed the box in a bag and moved to leave her room, still smiling like she was floating on cloud nine.

Annoyed with her state of ecstasy Scam turned to glance at the spirit. "She's happy again..." he said sounding peeved. "Just like every other year, what makes this year any more important than the other ones?" he asked, confusion on his face as the girl gave him a tired glance. Scam smirked. "If you haven't figured it out kid, seeing Sam happy doesn't exactly make me dance in glee. She is my enemy you know? Or do you not know that?" he asked, remembering how many times this child had brought her up so far. Maybe that was why she was in Sam's childhood form, perhaps she had mistaken her as someone he didn't loathe. Rolling her eyes the girl sighed. "I'm well aware of your feelings towards Miss Simpson, Mr. Scam." Scam raised an eyebrow, highly doubting that fact before he smirked. "So you understand why I am bored, excellent," he said only making the girl stare at him silently. "Now if Samantha Simpson was to break down crying..." he said, his smirk growing on his lips at the thought. "That, I would enjoy seeing."

The spirit's mouth slightly fell open at his words, and for some reason she looked heartbroken as she gave him a hateful glare. "...Apparently," she said slowly while staring him in the eyes with tears growing in her own. "You're going to enjoy what you're about to see," she said, confusing him as she closed her eyes and soon the image faded and changed into a different scene.

In a flash Sam was running through a snowy park still dressed in the same pink, halter dress she had been wearing in the previous vision. Only this time there were tears pouring down her face and Scam froze as he stood there in confusion while watching her cry her eyes out. Soon she collapsed on the snowy ground breathing deeply while her tears never ceased to fall. In her hands she was clutching the same present, still wrapped like before. Biting her lip Sam tossed the box onto the ice covered bench and buried her face in her hands while she kept crying, her eyes bloodshot by this point. "H-how could this have happened?" she choked out, her voice filled with indescribable pain, as if her heart had been broken into a million pieces. Screaming in agony, her voice making snow fall off the trees nearby, Sam slammed her fist into the bench, not caring about the ice that cut into her skin as she kept crying. Soon, blood was running down her fist and

Scam stood there, his eyes widened, his mouth sealed in confusion as he watched her crying louder and louder. Unconsciously his lips formed a frown and he realized that he had never seen her look this broken. Nothing he had ever done had made her cry like this and he couldn't help but wonder what had caused her this much pain. _"What made her cry like this?" _he thought, his thoughts tangled in confusion as he listened to her heartbroken sobs of despair.

Soon Sam's phone X-powder rang and Scam listened to her take a sharp intake of breath as she took it out of her purse and hit the audio button. Soon Clover's concerned voice was heard. "Hey Sammie! Where are you? You're totally missing the Christmas party!" Wiping away her tears and putting on what could only be described as a fake smile Sam spoke into the device. "I'll be right there!" she said before dumping the object into her purse and taking out a make-up case. Moving quickly she dabbed the area around her eyes with foundation to hide the puffiness of her eyes before she pulled on a pair of gloves, effectively hiding her bleeding hand. She stood up, turning to leave before she paused and glanced that the gift that was still on the bench. Her lower lip quivered when she glanced at it and she closed her eyes tightly while biting her lip and trying not to cry again. In the next moment she quickly grabbed the box, turned and ran out of the park.

When the image faded away Scam stood there looking lost as he tried to wrap his brain around what he had just seen. Noticing the shocking concern on Scam's face the ghost began speaking. "What made her so sad?" she asked making Scam bite his cheek in confusion as he just stood there clueless. "What did YOU do?" she suddenly screamed and Scam stiffened in confusion. "What happened in 2008? What could you have done to make a girl like her cry over you?" Turning around he looked at her in shock. "ME?" he growled. "Who said I had anything to do with it?" he shouted but the little girl only shook her head in rage while a tear rolled down her cheek. "Yes YOU!" she screamed accusingly while more tears fell. "Don't lie! You just said you wanted to see her sad!" the child raged, now throwing a temper tantrum. Scam huffed. "I'm responsible for causing a lot of misery I'll admit," he said truthfully. "But I had nothing to do with that."

Glaring, the little ghost pointed a finger at him. "Then why was she crying herself to pieces?" she asked and Scam paused in thought before shrugging. "She probably had a fight with her friend, Clover," he said before smirking. "She can make anyone cry," he said jokingly, trying to lighten the mood but the child only took a step closer to him and shook her head in disgust. "Do you think Miss Simpson is silly enough to cry over something THAT pointless?" Looking down Scam easily remembered how strong of a girl Sam was. It would take a lot, something drastic to make her shed even one tear and the image he had seen had shown her crying herself half to death. Although he didn't admit it, deep down he know it had to have been something more than the blonde's presence that had made her cry. "Sam cares for her friends," he said with firm tone. "If she fought with one of them she would cry," he said leaving the girl to look at him in a saddened way. What would it take for him to get what she was trying to tell him. Deciding to take a more direct approach because her time was running out the girl looked at him seriously. "What happened on December 25th, 2008?"

Staring at her in confusion Scam shook his head. "How would I know?" he asked, slightly annoyed at the stupid question. Giving him a glare the spirit spoke again. "It was the day your little plot to take over W.O.O.H.P as Mac Smit was revealed," she said making Scam's eyes widen as he remembered that she was right. _"It had been Christmas that day..." _he thought, remembering how decked up in ornaments W.O.O.H.P had been on that day before glancing at the child curiously. "What does that have to do with anything?" he asked and the girl sighed heavily before walking over to him and holding his hand in hers. Taking a deep breath she looked up at him with sad, innocent eyes. "Mr. Scam...that was the day that Miss Simpson learned you were evil." Scam's mouth slightly fell open before he looked at her in shock at what she was possibly suggesting. There was no way in hell he was the reason why Sam had cried that day.

"No way..." he whispered, looking her in the eyes. "She didn't cry over me," he said determinedly. "I'm just a minor part of Samantha Simpson's life you know? There are many people that impact her way more than me," he said with a self-assured smirk. Drawing her hand away the girl shot him a glare of pure disappointment. "Oh yea... you're definitely a "minor" part," she spat before her glare grew angrier. "That's why she cries over YOU every Christmas!" Scam's eyes widened as he watched her counting 1, 2, 3 off her little, tiny fingers. "Three Christmases," she whispered sadly. "That's a lot of Christmases you know." Blinking in confusion Scam shook his head not willing to believe what this child was saying. Why would Sam, his enemy cry over him? Seeing him shaking his head she frowned. "You stole Christmas from her Mr. Scam..." the girl muttered sadly, now crying. "You took her smile away...the least you could do is admit that."

Taking a deep breath Scam shook his head again. "Listen kid, you don't know what you're talking about," he said firmly and she dropped her head, sighing before she took his hand, closed her eyes and transported him to a place he recognized as his mansion when he opened his eyes.

"I'm a ghost..." she said, speaking again as she released his hand. "Of course I know what I'm talking about." Finding him staring at her silently the little girl fidgeted with her small fingers. "I don't understand Mr. Scam..." she started slowly. "If you knew what it felt like to have your heart broken on Christmas, how could you do it to someone else?" she whispered, staring at him innocently. Eyes widening but only for a second, Scam let out a small chuckle. "You know kid, you make it sound like she's still pining over me," he said still laughing as he remembered how Sam had seemed to have a tiny crush on him while he was pretending to be her new boss. Giving him an innocent, confused face the kid bit her lip. "Well... of course it sounds like that," she whispered while coming to stand right before him. "She probably thinks you're her Prince Charming," she said and Scam couldn't help but laugh at her cuteness. This kid was seriously adorable. "You know, you're a hopeless romantic despite being a tiny kid," he said while looking at her pointedly.

The girl pouted only making him laugh again. "What?" he asked when she gave him a small glare. "Do I look like a prince to you?" he asked pointing to himself in amusement as he put on his best evil smirk. Blinking innocently she raised her head and looked all the way up at him. "Yes." Raising an eyebrow at her response Scam made the child bite her lip before she smiled. She had other ways to make her point get into his head. "Well you're tall..." she said elaborating her point by raising her tiny arm for effect. "Definitely darkish..." she said squeakily before batting her eyelashes and grinning. "And handsome!" Scam raised another eyebrow in shock. "What?" he said looking even more confused. Biting her lip in thought and wondering how to make him understand she grinned before suddenly making a pile of child's fairytale books appear out of no where. When they landed at her feet she smiled before leaning down and picking one up. Flipping through it for a moment with a determined pout she squealed, stopping and holding out the book towards a confused Tim Scam.

He only looked more lost as his eyes trailed over the copy of Sleeping Beauty that she held. "Here," she said with joy in her voice as she pointed to the picture of the prince. "The prince DOES look like you!" she said with a happy grin. Scam only blinked as her grin widened. "See? I'm right!" she said, doing a fist pump before she looked at him innocently. "So... now are we clear why Miss Simpson might think you're her Prince Charming?" she asked timidly. Letting out a slow breath Scam blinked. "...No." The little ghost sighed. "Don't tell me you wanna look through all my picture books!" she said while waving the one she was holding in the air.

Scam remained silent before running a hand through his hair and sighing tiredly. "You're not making any sense." he said, looking away from the book she was still clutching. "...Why would Sam feel that way about me?" Putting her book down, she placed her hands in her pockets and gave him a long look. "Well she has a big heart right?..." she asked and Scam nodded slowly not knowing where she was headed with this. Glancing at the clock on his bedroom wall, seeing that her time was up, the little girl smiled. "Well maybe somehow..." she whispered while slowly picking up her books and holding them in a stack. "You made room..." she whispered while reaching one hand up, tucking her books under one arm and putting on her hood. Staring him right in his confused eyes she smiled innocently. "..In that huge heart of hers," she finished before vanishing into thin air.

Standing still in shock Scam blinked several times before he realized that she had just disappeared. Glancing around he half expected her to pop up again but after several moments had passed in silence he realized that the child was gone. Taking a deep breath Scam slowly walked around his bedroom while trying to figure out how he had gotten here in the first place and after a few moments he stopped and gave up, nothing making any sense at all. _"What did I just see?"_ he thought, his thoughts confused as he stood there in the total silence. He could still remember every word that kid had said to him and he couldn't help but wonder what was going on here. Sighing tiredly, Scam ran a hand through his hair. "It had to have been a dream," he told himself, knowing there was no other explanation for the strange events he had witnessed. But he froze in shock as he remembered how real everything had felt. The way that child had pinched him, when she had thrown snowballs at him...he had felt the pain and the cold. Could it really all be a dream?

_"It has to be..."_ he thought while glancing around his room and staring at everything in doubt because he still didn't know how he was standing here when he distinctly remembered having had fallen asleep in his jail cell tonight. _"It's probably part of the dream..."_ he thought._ "I'm probably still in my jail cell and when I actually open my eyes next time, I'll be back there again," _he reasoned before rubbing his tired eyes. He was in serious need of some sleep. Since he seemed to be in his home, Scam slowly walked out of his room and walked to the bathroom. Turning on the lights he walked over to the sink and turned on the tap cold. Once he was sure the water was freezing he lowered his head and splashed his face with the water in an attempt to relax.

Turning off the tap a moment later Scam didn't bother to wipe his face as he stared at himself in the mirror. The man staring back at him looked tired, puzzled and lost and Scam sighed heavily while running a hand through his slightly damp hair and slicking it back. "I'm going insane," he muttered before turning off the light and making his way back to his bedroom. Sitting on the edge of his bed he slowly unbuttoned the black shirt he was wearing and took it off, tossing it on a chair before he laid down in his tank top and sweatpants.

Laying in bed he found he was unable to close his eyes as his thoughts were too wrapped around on what he had seen and heard. _"Sam..."_ he thought, thinking of the redhead that spirit had been bringing up over and over again. _"You're her Prince Charming," _the child's innocent voice ran through his thoughts several times before he stiffened and shook his head. "No, I dreamt that," he whispered while ignoring how he was wondering why he would dream about Sam Simpson. Closing his eyes to stop thinking Scam stayed still trying to sleep only to find that he couldn't get comfortable. Sighing he turned to his side and attempted to sleep again only to feel suffocated by his thoughts as he lay there in silence. Groaning he sat up in the darkness, letting his blanket roll down to his waist. Holding his head Scam took deep breaths while he tried to relax. _"What could you have done to make a girl like her cry over you?" _the voice haunted him in his memory.

He took a slow breath while blinking in the darkness. Sam would never cry over him, she hated him. "And that's all there is to it," he said stubbornly, having made up his mind before he moved to sleep again. Attempting to get more comfortable Scam reached down and rolled his sweatpants up to his calves, took off his socks and finally pulled off his tank top before getting up and putting them all on the chair with his shirt. Turning the heat up high to deal with the cold he felt from his shirtlessness Scam settled back into bed, pulling the blanket up to his waist only as he closed his eyes and placed one arm over them just in case he started imagining things again. Then slowly he drifted off into much needed sleep.

* * *

"Tim?...Tim wake up," an urgent sounding voice said. Hearing the sound immediately thanks to him being the light sleeper than he was Scam stiffened on the bed. His eyes shot open but he kept his arm over them, not wanting to see whoever was calling him. _"But it sounds like Sam..."_ he thought, knowing the redhead's voice enough to recognize it with ease. Deciding to ignore the voice and dismissing it as a continuation of his dream that he had been having just a half hour ago, Scam tried closing his eyes again only to hear the voice speak louder. "Oh come on Tim, please wake up? I really need to talk to you." Trying again to ignore the voice he sat up with a start when he heard light footsteps approaching him. Blinking in the darkness he felt his mouth drop open slightly as he noticed Samantha Simpson standing there staring at him.

"...Sam?" he said in a slightly shocked tone. What was Sam doing in his bedroom? His gaze dripped down her body, as she stood there dressed in a knee-length black dress, noticing how her face looked saddened yet beautiful, before he looked down ignoring the girl who was watching him intently. Glancing around he couldn't help but be slightly agonized at the fact that he was still in his bedroom and not back in his jail cell as he had hoped. This wasn't a dream was it?

Floating over to his bed while he sat there in bewilderment she settled right before him, sitting on her knees in the space between his legs. Smiling sadly at his state of shock she reached out and gently ran a hand through his hair, brushing his bangs away from his forehead. She smiled harder at the sight of his cutely scruffy hair and tired eyes. "I hope you're not scared of me," she whispered making Scam snap out of his trance and snap his head away. He had had enough. He was not afraid of Samantha Simpson.

Growling in anger and frustration Scam quickly lunged at her and grabbed her wrists, pushing her back on the bed and pinning her down aggressively. Holding her there he shot her an acidic glare. "What's going on Sam?" he demanded. Raising an eyebrow she realized the mistake he was making and she sighed before closing her eyes. Scam watched in shock as she grew intangible and his hands slid through through the body he had just been gripping ferociously. "No.." he whispered, pulling back immediately as he realized the truth. This wasn't Sam, it was another spirit in her form.

He growled in frustration and closed his eyes, trying to count to ten and make her disappear but she only spoke in a soothing voice. "It's okay Tim, I'm here to help you," she whispered into his left ear while placing a hand on his bare shoulder as she became solid again and Scam tried not to jump at her touch. Slowly she moved her hands and took hold of his face, shocking him to his core as she ran her thumb across his tense jaw line. Her touch felt like fire despite being ice cold and Scam held his breath as he stared her in her solemn eyes unblinkingly. Resting her cold fingers on his face the spirit that looked like Sam drew closer to him until her icy exterior was right up against his, and her nose was touching his, leaving him to blink and keep his gaze on her. She gave him a half smile as she simply sat there, staring into his eyes and he for some reason felt as if she was looking right into his soul, into a place that was so forbidden to everyone including Scam himself. 'I can see right into your soul Tim," she whispered, still smiling as she placed her hand over his heart, her fingers slightly tapping his bare skin. "I can feel your heart… and it's missing something," she said quietly as he watched her with widened, confused eyes. Scam honestly had no idea what she was talking about. "Who..." he started slowly. "What are you?"

"I'm the ghost Christmas present," she said and Scam bit his lip as he quickly remembered what the kid had said about three ghosts visiting him. Stiffening at the thought he looked at her angrily. "Great, what do you want from me?" he spat. Coming even closer to him she rested her lips against his cheek making him stiffen and fall silent as she spoke against his skin. "...I want to show you something Tim, come with me..." she whispered, her cool breath hitting his face as she took hold of his arm and urged him to stand up. Shocked and confused, Scam slowly stood up and followed her. Stopping in the middle of the room she released his arm and raised one of her own and soon there was a void opening up right in front of him.

Alarmed he began taking a step back but she stopped him by grabbing his wrist and holding it tightly. "It's okay," she whispered while comfortingly running her thumb over his forearm. Soon the void seemed more like a TV screen as an image of Sam Simpson formed in it and Scam tensed silently when he saw her face. Instantly everything the little girl had said came rushing back and he tried to ignore it as he glanced at the ghost next to him. "You think you're the only one who doesn't enjoy Christmas anymore, right?" she said while nodding her head towards the image and Scam watched Sam walking on the street with her friends who were smiling, carrying shopping bags. Sam too looked happy and he found himself strangely relieved at the thought, glad that the child had been wrong about him taking away the redhead's smile when he froze as he noticed Sam frown the moment her friends look away. This sad frown lasted a moment longer while her eyes glazed over in thought before she sighed, putting on a smile and talking to Clover again. Noticing his frozen state the ghost slightly leaned her head on his shoulder and spoke into it, making him tense. "Did you see that?" she asked but he quickly shook his head and shrunk his shoulder away.

Sighing, she pulled away and let him watch more and she quietly noted how his eyes widened when he noticed the girl frown again after barely two more seconds. Standing there Scam couldn't help but notice how compared to the Christmases he had seen before with Sam as a toddler, a child and an early teen Sam looked significantly sadder. "She seems to smile but the sparkle in her eyes is gone," the ghost whispered making him blink slowly. "It's almost like she's putting on a show," she said. "Ever since Christmas 2008," she whispered and Scam kept his mouth shut not wanting to bring up what the child had said about that Christmas. Soon Scam found himself looking down from the image before him because for some reason he found it hard to look at Sam.

Noting this the spirit slowly dropped his hand and raised his chin forcing him to look at the scene again and when he reluctantly did he noticed how it had changed. Sam was now smiling at her parents brightly and for a moment he relaxed about to think she was happy again only to watch her slam the door to her room shut a moment later and sigh heavily as she leaned against it. She almost looked relieved to be alone on Christmas day. "What's she doing all alone?" he asked and the ghost shrugged while wrapping an arm around his stiff shoulders. "You'll see," she whispered into his ear and Scam watched as Sam pulled out a wrapped present from behind her back.

His eyes widened in shock as he noticed the wrapping. Red and Black, just like…. "_2008," _he thought but kept his mouth closed as he watched Sam sigh sadly while walking over to a closet and opening it. His eyes widened even more as he noticed her push away a coat and reveal what was on the shelf. Two more boxes wrapped in the exact same way. "Strange isn't it?" the spirit asked and Scam could only nod slowly. "Who do you think those presents are for Tim?' she asked and Scam looked away while trying to think of a logical response. "For a friend who moved away…" he said slowly, stubbornly and the ghost sighed. "You're intentionally not seeing the obvious," she muttered making him look up at her as she gave him a sad, longing glance. "Do you not remember what you saw not too long before? Christmas 2008?"

Scam's breath caught in his throat as he realized this ghost was trying to tell him that those presents were for none other than him. That Sam wrapped a present for him each year for Christmas. _"But that doesn't make any sense," _he thought before glaring at the ghost who was suggesting nonsense. "Sam hates me," he said, speaking firmly to drive in his point. "She wouldn't buy me presents," he said, sounding grumpy and sure. "That would be ridiculous and illogical," he pointed out and the spirit sighed before giving him a pointed look. 'Love Tim…" she whispered slowly. "Isn't very logical."

Going silent for a moment Scam glared. "…Sam does not love me." He looked straight at the sighing spirit before going on. "Sam hates my guts and she would be celebrating if I died." Hearing his words she fell silent knowing Tim Scam wouldn't understand love so easily. How could he? After three years he didn't even recognize a girl right? How could he recognize love? Something he hadn't experienced in years. Trying again she looked up sadly. "That girl…" she said while pointing at Sam's sad face that was still on screen. "Can't stand to see you scratched let alone dead." Scam's eyes narrowed in confusion. "What the hell are you talking about?" he growled, knowing Sam never hesitated to fight him on missions. She was often the one who often grabbed him too, stuffing him back right back in jail. "Let me show you what I mean," the spirit whispered before closing her eyes and soon the image flickered and changed and Scam was surprised to see himself and Sam in the vision. They were fighting in an old warehouse. "You recognize this right?" she asked and Scam nodded. "Yea, this is from the last time I got…arrested," he said not being able to help but sound annoyed at the last word. "Anyway this just proves my point," he said while watching Sam angrily launch punches and kicks at him as he dodged them and backed away.

"Keep watching," the ghost whispered and Scam was about to protest when he stopped, shocked when he saw something beyond strange. Right as his back was about to hit a broken window that he had smashed before, Sam had raised her leg and kicked him to the side before the sharp shard that had been poking out dangerously even got the chance to cut into his back. Then she kept fighting him like always. Scam stayed silent not believing his eyes. Why hadn't he noticed that? He wondered but quickly realized that his back had been to the threat behind him, he had never seen the glass but Sam who had been facing the other way had seen it, and she had moved him out harm's way with a kick that he had assumed had been for revenge. "She saved you from getting injured," the spirit whispered softly, standing next to him again and Scam jumped when he felt her cold body touch his bare side. "Why?…" she asked slowly while he stood there looking completely stunned. "Why would she do that?"

Looking away from the ghost and taking a step away Scam took a moment to answer. "Sam's a good person…" he said, his words silent and confused as if he was making them up as he spoke. "Even if I am her enemy, I'm still a human and Sam probably didn't want to hurt another person unnecessarily…" he said before nodding his head. "It was probably guilt that made her do that." Listening to his stubbornness the ghost slowly rested a hand on his shoulder and pulled him closer by gripping it in her ice cold hand. Leaning up on her toes she brushed her lips against his earlobe leaving him to tense as she whispered into it again. 'Or maybe it's just care that made her do it," she suggested but Scam shook his head stubbornly while stepping away. "No," said firmly while turning his back to her and crossing his arms over his chest. "Why would Sam care?"

Watching his turned back the spirit sighed knowing she couldn't bring up love again just yet. Still she had another major reason for Sam to care. "Sam can't stand to see you bleed…" she said slowly making him slightly scoff while he shook his head, still not looking at her. "She can't bear to see you bleed because most of the blood inside you is hers anyway." The room went silent at her words. Turning around very slowly Scam glanced at the ghost. "..What?" he asked, bewildered, not believing his ears. Nodding sadly the ghost changed the image in front of them and soon Sam was shown sitting at the W.O.O.H.P blood bank, an agent extracting her blood. "You know that blood ends up helping criminals?" the ghost asked and Scam shrugged. "Yea so? She's a good person. She probably doesn't mind donating her blood to criminals...what does that have to do with me?"

The ghost sighed tiredly. "Um you are a criminal," she pointed out helpfully making Scam smirk. "So I'm just one in the hundreds of criminals locked away at W.O.O.H.P, Sam wouldn't mind having to happen to donate blood to me in order to help others." Listening to him trying to use logic to work his way out of the truth the spirit shook her head in disappointment. How far would this man go to prove his failing point? Didn't he get it? _"Apparently he doesn't,"_ she thought before taking a few steps closer to him and frowning.

"What's your blood type Tim?" she asked making him shrug at the strange question. "O- , why?" The ghost fluttered closer to him and took hold of his hand, raising it while using her other hand to run a finger down his arm as if she were tracing the flow of the blood in his veins and he simply blinked in confusion not sure why she was doing this. Annoyed at her lingering touch he began to pull his arm away only to have her tighten her grip with an unearthly force and he found that his arm couldn't escape. "I guess you didn't know…" she said slowly while giving him a sad glance. "That you're the only O- negative in that prison facility." Scam froze at this new fact before he opened his mouth to ask what that had to do with anything only to have her place an icy finger to her lips, silencing him. "Sam's blood type is also O-," she whispered leaving him to stare at her in shock as she went on. "And Sam knows your blood type is the same as hers. She has access to your records Tim, you know this," she said while watching confusion and shock flicker in his gaze. Soon Scam's mouth turned into a silent frown as he looked down, away from the spirit's piercing gaze. From Sam's piercing gaze.

Standing there he couldn't help but feel as if he had been invaded. He couldn't help but feel like Sam was here with him, right with him in this room. It felt as if she was stuck inside of him, crawling up and down his veins within his blood. Her blood. She… He took a shaky breath. She ran in his veins. Her blood ran in HIS veins. He could no longer ever escape the girl even though he was an expert at escaping everything. Feeling awkward and confused Scam oddly rubbed his bare arms. "Why would she give me her blood?" he asked slowly making the ghost before him sigh yet again at his lack of understanding. "Again you're avoiding the obvious," she said seriously while glancing at him. "Sam knows how much trouble you get into. Mostly you don't get injured but those times that you're careless you bleed a lot," she said while a sad look filled up her eyes. "And you don't care because you're immune to pain right? So naturally you don't care about the blood you lose but she does," she said while watching him stare at her quietly.

Sighing she spoke again. "Remember last year, when the van that was taking you to jail had an accident? And you lost a lot of blood?" she asked and Scam nodded easily remembering the time he had spent at the hospital thanks to W.O.O.H.P.'s carelessness. "It was her blood that was given to you Tim," the ghost whispered sadly making him freeze in place as she kept trying to explain things to him. Biting her lip she sighed. "And she worries that something like that could happen again… so she keeps donating in the case that it might help you," she said leaving Scam to stare at her with widened eyes of realization. Coming closer to him she placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a little squeeze while she looked at him with serious eyes. "So when you're getting injured while fighting, while being in an accident...just remember Tim," the ghost whispered. "It's not your blood you are mindlessly spilling… it's Sam's..."

Staring at her with wide eyes for a good few minutes Scam ran a hand through his hair in frustration before he glanced back at the spirit who's eyes never left him. "Why would she worry about me like that? Why would she think of me at all? " he asked, looking a little pale. Looking at him thoughtfully the spirit spoke again. "Well… do you think of Sam often?" she asked making Scam slowly raise an eyebrow. "…When I'm planning her death? Yes," he said, smirking but it was clearly forced and strained on his lips, shockingly looking out of place. "No, just think about her, normally," the spirit whispered. Scam gave her a questioning look.

"...Why would I think of my enemy?" he asked, confused leaving the ghost to shrug. "I thought you might considering she thinks of you all the time, both consciously and unconsciously and she can't help it," she said honestly and Tim Scam could only stare at her in even more confusion. He was certain he hadn't suffered this much shock in his entire life. "…What do you mean?" he asked slowly and the spirit smiled before coming over and grabbing his wrist. "Come, I'll show you," she whispered, her icy breath dancing up and down his skin, reminding him he was half-naked and Scam realized too late that he was being transported yet again.

When his eyes opened in the next moment Scam let out a small grunt of surprise when he noted he was hovering above Samantha Simpson's bed as she lay there sleeping in the darkness. Next to him the spirit was clutching his arm tightly and when she felt him tense she smiled. "Don't worry, she's in deep sleep and you're invisible," she said while tightening her hold on his hand. "Why..why am I here?" Scam whispered, not wanting Sam to wake up anyway.

Smiling at him she pointed down at the girl sleeping in the dark room. "Sshh listen," she said and Scam looked at her in confusion before his ears picked up on a moan. Eyes narrowing he looked down at Sam who turned and shifted to her side while another moan left her mouth. Only this one sounded like a name. Straining his hearing to listen better Scam focused on Sam while shutting out the sounds of his own heavy breathing. "…Mmm.." Sam moaned again while her eyes sealed tighter and she hugged her pillow. "..Tim…" Sam moaned out and Scam's eyes widened to the point of popping as he watched her smile in her sleep and cuddle her pillow.

When the ghost floating next to him poked him in his back Scam sucked in a breath and slowly turned his head. "Well?" the ghost asked expectantly. "Did you hear that?" Blinking for a few seconds, Scam glanced down at the sleeping woman not believing what he had just heard. Tim was his name. _"But…" _Scam thought, his brain working fast to sort this out before he paused and gave the ghost a passive glance. "Tim is a common name, it could be ANY Tim she's…dreaming off," he said offhandedly and the ghost shook her head in disbelief. "You really need everything spelled out for you don't you?" She asked before she moved suddenly, shocking him when she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged his bare body close to her pale, flickering form. "What…what are you doing?" he hissed, twisting to get away but she didn't let him go. "Relax Tim, close your eyes," she ordered and Scam refused to but soon he found his eyes closing on their own. And in the next moment he was seeing Sam's dreams through her own eyes.

_**The sounds of rampant running, the clacking of heavy boots filled the darkness as they splashed through the rainy puddles in a mad pursuit to get away. "Stop!" Samantha Simpson screamed while racing after the man, the criminal who was trying to escape her and her friends. "Stop!" Sam screamed again while staring at his broad back that was covered by his black trench coat. But he never heard her as he kept running, his dark brown hair soaked in the downpour only getting more drenched while he ran. Soon Clover had caught up with the redhead and was frowning at her while they both ran breathlessly. **_

"_**Sammie why don't you use it?" she screamed while throwing a glare at the enemy who was still ahead. Sam bit her lip, going pale before she shook her head. "No I think we can catch him," she said leaving the blonde to glare. "Catch him and then what? He's just bound to get out again! That's why Jerry gave us that gun Sam! We're supposed to put an end to this now," she hissed but the redhead shook her head again while keeping her eyes on Tim Scam. "Clover, I can't shoot another person," she said while her feet moved faster, leaving the blonde a step behind. Catching up quickly Clover grabbed Sam's arm. "Fine! Give me the gun! I'll do it!" She screamed but Sam only shook her head and held the gun in her hand tightly. "This is wrong Clover, we're not killers," she said logically but the way her eyes glanced at the running man, they way they softened at the sight of him showed she had another reason for not wanting to shoot him dead. **_

_**Noticing that Sam was distracted for reasons she couldn't understand Clover took the moment to knock the gun out of Sam's hands and the redhead gasped when her hand lost the weapon. "Clover no!" Sam screamed when she saw the blonde run closer to Scam and point the gun at his back. Running as fast as she could Sam tried to stop her best friend but she never got there in time as Clover aimed and quickly pulled the trigger letting a deafening boom fill air as blood shot out of Scam's body and in the next moment he turned around with shock everywhere on his features. Glaring Clover ignored Sam's scream as she shot again letting a bullet rip through his chest and dig into his heart. In the next moment Scam hit the ground hard, breathing deeply as he took a staggering breath while feeling the pain of the bullet lodged into his heart. Then his body stiffened as his eyes closed. Never to open again... **_

_**XxX**_

_**The nightmare faded into darkness and made way for a dream. Sitting at the least popular coffee shop downtown, Sam bit her lip while she glanced at her watch. 4:45 pm. "He should have been here by now," she mumbled, chewing on her lower lip and ignoring her coffee that continued to get colder and colder. She sat there for another moment glancing around before she gave up and sighed. About to stand up and leave she froze when a familiar masculine chuckle made her freeze in her tracks. Turning her head, relief filled her when she saw Tim Scam standing there behind her. Letting out a breath of relief Sam shot up from her chair and threw her arms around him, wrapping him up in a hug while she pressed her face into his chest and sobbed. **_

_**Rubbing her back soothingly Scam sighed. "What's the matter Sam? You're not happy to see me?" he asked making the redhead in his arms shake her head before she pulled herself out of his chest and glanced at him. But her arms remained tightly around him and tears kept falling down her cheeks. "No…don't speak nonsense," she whispered. "I was just worried that-" She bit her lip and sighed. Watching her with knowing eyes Scam raised her chin and made her look him in the eyes. "You were worried that I was dead right? Or maybe that I had been arrested?" Sam slowly nodded. Giving her a small, sad smile Scam wiped away her tears before he made her sit down again and joined her at her table. **_

"_**You have to stop worrying like this Sam," he said, concern everywhere on his features. "You're hurting yourself by worrying over me," he said and the redhead nodded slowly. "I know, I wish I could stop worrying…" she said while sighing and slowly looking into his eyes. "But I can't Tim, how can I not worry about you?" she asked, her voice heartbroken. Frowning Tim watched her with sad eyes filled with regret. "I'm sorry Sam," he whispered knowing he was to blame for all her fears. Sam bit her lip and nodded slowly, forgiving him but they both knew this issue only had one solution. A solution he didn't want to take. **_

_**Giving him a sad glance Sam sighed. She hated having to meet him on the sly. She hated having to hide from her friends. "Why…" She took a deep breath. "Why can't you do the right thing and change Tim?" she asked, her eyes searching his for an answer. **__**Watching her for a long moment Scam smiled sadly.**__**"**__**Sometimes..." He whispered while reaching **__**over and placing his hand over hers, his fingers moving quickly to intertwine with her own as he held her hand tightly in his. Looking her in the eyes Scam sighed.**__**"Doing the right thing isn't the easiest thing to do…."**_

_**XxX**_

_**Darkness filled her mind before another dream formed itself. In the middle of a mission Sam stood there breathing deeply while she watched Tim Scam standing there looking at her in agony. She took a step back only landing herself against a wall as he took a step closer and trapped her there. The look on his face was that of confusion and frustration when he glanced at her. Soon his emotional state faded and in the next moment he had raised his left arm moving to strike her when he stopped at the sight of her heartbroken face. **_

_**Hand still in the air, Scam watched her with penetrating eyes as Sam looked back at him with tears slowly forming in her own. They did nothing but stare at each other while they took deep breaths and seconds later both their faces were crumbling. Sam**__**'**__**s determination faded to make way for pure longing and Scam**__**'**__**s anger vanished behind eyes filled with raw desire. Punching the wall next to her head Scam growled before quickly covering her lips with his. Their mouths moved together while Sam pulled him closer and kissed him back and Scam lost his hands in the masses of her long, red hair. None of them paid any attention to the others who were standing there gasping in shock before understand slowly dawned their faces….**_

_**XxX**_

_**A moment later another dream formed behind Sam**__**'**__**s closed eyelids. The sounds of music were all around as W.O.O.H.P shimmered with a thousand lights. The conference room had been turned into a ballroom and all around couples, made up of W.O.O.H.P**__**'**__**s own agents stood dancing the night away. A sigh escaped one man**__**'**__**s throat as he held his smiling partner close with her small waist. Glancing at Sam**__**'**__**s happy, joyful smile Tim Scam cast her a confused frown. **__**"**__**Why are you so happy?**__**"**__** he asked grumpily. **__**"**__**We**__**'**__**re all stuck here as part of a set-up for a criminal to come invade W.O.O.H.P,**__**"**__** he muttered sourly while his expression showed how he was wondering why he had agreed to help. **_

_**Giggling at his words Sam reached up and wrapped her arms around her husband**__**'**__**s neck while pulling him closer. **__**"**__**Yes but unlike other spies who are stuck with random men**__**…" she whispered while never taking her eyes of his face and never stopping smiling for even one quick second. "I'**__**m with the love of my life,**__**"**__** she said with a small blush on her face when she saw him smile. **__**"**__**And….**__**"**__** she whispered while leaning up on her toes to reach his 6' 3'' frame. **__**"**__**I get to do… this,**__**"**__** she said, smiling brightly before she kissed him... **_

A smile breaking out on Sam's sleeping face she hugged her pillow harder before her eyes slowly opened. Blinking in the darkness she sat up, her smile fading fast as she glanced around and found that she was all alone. Looking down Sam gulped and bit her lip, holding back the tears that wanted to fall as she rubbed her arms feeling cold and alone. She sat there for another moment, blinking sadly before she sighed, shaking her head in a berating way before she pulled her blanket back up and forced herself to sleep.

Only when Sam's eyes closed did Tim Scam start breathing as he hung there in mid air his eyes wide from shock. He couldn't believe a second of what he had seen and heard. Just moments ago he had heard the tormented moans that had escaped the redhead's mouth while her nails had dug into the soft bed sheets and perspiration had beaded at her forehead during her nightmare of him dying. He had clearly heard her single, panicked cry of his name while her body had grown pale as she had twisted on the bed for a few long moments before she started seeing her dreams.

But the dreams had been just as shocking. He couldn't believe what her dreams were trying to tell him. _"…__Sam thinks this way?_" he thought silently as he stared at the sleeping girl and while he did that he couldn't help but remember what the ghost of Christmas past had said to him about him being her Prince Charming.

From next to him the spirit silently watched Scam's expression with happy eyes. He had seen it. Even with his blind to emotion eyes, he had seen the desire and need in Sam's eyes when she had looked at him in her dreams. And judging by his unmoving mouth and unblinking eyes she knew it was bothering him and that her work here was almost done. Without saying anything the spirit held his hand tighter before transporting him back to his home and when Scam's feet touched the familiar floor to his room he slowly pulled away from the ghost and took a long, deep breath, trying desperately to make sense of what he had seen.

"Love of her life…" the spirit whispered making him jump as she rested a cool hand on his bare back. "She called you the love of her life Tim," she whispered while slowly walking to his front and taking in the agitation on his face that once knew nothing of such an emotion. Looking away from the spirit who was studying his every move Scam focused his gaze on the floor and thought long and hard. There had to be an explanation for those dreams of hers. There just had to be. "Her dreams are about being with you," the spirit whispered, taking advantage of his shocked silence. "Her nightmares are about your pain Tim," she whispered softly while coming closer until her feet were touching his but he knew better than to look at her. Sighing she spoke again. "Do you know why? No right? It's because your pain is HER pain," she said leaving Scam to finally look up at the ghost with a glare on his face. "Dreams…" he started slowly. "Are uncontrolled. A person can't control what they see once they close their eyes," he said stubbornly leaving the spirit to look down and nod slowly.

She should have known better than expecting him to just believe Sam's dreams. A man like Tim Scam would want real, concrete proof of this girl's bleeding emotions for him and for some reason her mumbling his very own name in her sleep wasn't enough. For some reason he just wasn't ready to accept the truth that was staring him in the face. "Fine…" the spirit muttered before giving him a sad glance. "I know you won't believe me like this…" she said before raising her arms and Scam knew she was about to show him something else. But he shook his head furiously because he didn't want to do this anymore. "No!" he growled having had enough. His angry scream made the spirit stop in her tracks and glance at him and when she did Scam gave her a threatening, dark glare.

He wanted this nonsense to end. And it had to end now. He had been holding back all this time not yelling at the child ghost because he had assumed it was a dream but now, after hours of dealing with this nonsense he was tired. Sam was too logical of a girl to have any feelings for him. Any feelings besides contempt and rage. Everything he had been shown had to have been a lie. Everything. Her wrapping presents for him every year, donating blood for him, saving him from getting injured, her dreams…they were all lies! "You're lying!" he screamed, rage now coursing through every fibre of his being. "Everything you've shown me is a lie! It can all be interpreted differently than what you are saying!" He growled. "Sam doesn't love me!" he yelled in the face of the blinking spirit. "No one has ever-" he stopped and took a deep breath trying to bottle up his rage before he continued in an angry whisper. 'No one has ever loved me."

Blinking sadly a tear rolled down the spirit's face and when he saw her crying Scam only roared in fury. "Stop looking at me like that!" he hissed, now willing to hurt her even if she was a spirit and he didn't have much of a chance. He was not someone who needed to be fed these ridiculous lies. He had stopped caring for love a long time ago. So long ago that he didn't even remember when. He did not need…he did not WANT to be reminded of that emotion he had lacked all his life because it was a welcome loss. "I'm not miserable," he spat. "I don't need to be loved…get that into your head," he whispered darkly.

Staying completely silent the spirit only stared at Scam with compassionate, longing eyes. _"He's just struggling to win,"_ she thought while watching his angry glare. Tim Scam was losing, he knew that. He was smart enough to know when he was losing an argument and right now after everything he had seen and heard he knew he was losing and he didn't want to accept it. That was why he was standing here yelling and screaming at her. _"It's because he doesn't want to care," _the spirit thought while wiping away her tears as she looked at the broken man who refused to crumble due to his massive pride with a determined glance.

But she had to keep trying because this wasn't even about him. If it was just about him, his wants and desires than none of them would be visiting him tonight. This was for a girl, a god-loving girl who had fallen in love with a demon-like man. One who's heart was too dark to care about her. And very soon she was set to pay the price for loving him, a price too wrong, too horrible for someone like Samantha Simpson to pay. And there was no way she was going to sit idly by and let her pay without trying to her fullest. There was no way _they _were going to let him remain blind to the truth.

"What do you need to hear to believe me?" she asked finally breaking the silence that his outburst had caused. Looking up Scam gave her a hateful glare not wanting to get worked back into seeing more lies. "What do you want from me?" he growled. "Why are you here bothering me?" he asked, anger dripping from his tone. Raising a cool eyebrow the spirit frowned. "Answer the question Tim," she said letting him know she didn't care about answering his questions. Scam gave the spirit another glare while his eye twitched from unspoken hatred. "Nothing," he spat. "There is nothing that you can ever show me or tell me that will make me believe that Sam loves-"

"Maybe you should hear it from her own lips. Her own confession," she said quickly not giving him the chance to protest as she quickly made the last image she had to show him appear before him. Not even looking at the scene that was unfolding Scam turned around bitterly not wanting to see more convenient accidents that these stupid spirits could twist and make look like real, genuine feelings. Sam would scoff if she heard the nonsense these ghosts were saying, the rumours that they were spreading about her, the most moral, good person that he knew.

"Dear God, I feel like I'm crazy," came Sam's heartbroken, quiet voice from behind him, interrupting his thoughts. "I care for a man who wants to kill me," she said and Scam stiffened on the spot as he tried to ignore what he had just heard. He heard a staggering breath followed by a sigh. "I care for a man who tried to evaporate all of the earth's water, who tried to turn my own mother against me... tried to kill my friends and me countless times," Sam whispered and Scam's eyes widened in shock as he realized she was talking about him. Without being able to stop himself, he turned around furiously to see what words of Sam the spirit was twisting now only to freeze on the spot when he saw what Sam was doing. Samantha Simpson was sitting in her room, candles lit in front of her, eyes closed, tears running down her face while her hands were folded in reverence. Sam was...praying.

"I want to forget about him...please," she almost begged while more tears poured down her face. "Please let me forget him... I don't..." she bit her lip while shaking her head. "I don't want to think about him," Sam muttered sounding tormented. "Please help me forget him..." she whispered again through her sobs. "I don't want to think about him ever again," her voice shook, torn with sadness and regret.

And standing there listening in shock, her words cut through Scam's conscience stronger than any knife. Sam sounded nothing like the headstrong, logical girl he had known for 3 years.

"But..." Sam gulped. "Even if I won't care for him anymore... I still wish he has a good life..." she fidgeted with her hands. "I pray that Tim finds true happiness and peace." She found herself smiling sadly. "I pray that he has a long life and doesn't come to any harm and-" She stopped with a frown when she realized she was still thinking only about him. More tears made their way down her pale cheeks before a sad smile formed on her lips. Opening her eyes she tried to keep up her smile only to break down into tears a moment later. "I can't stop caring for him…can I?" she muttered between her sobs. "I can't stop caring even for a moment," she cried. "God, I know why, and it's all my fault..." she said while trying to wipe her tears away and calm down but her heartbroken look never faded as she whispered to God in the darkness. "Because I'm the one who…. loves him…"

A gasp left Scam's throat as his eyes remained wide even after the image of Sam crying and praying faded away. And for the first time in his life Tim Scam was at a loss for words. His breath was stuck in his throat, his lungs frozen as he stood there with Sam's prayers running through his mind over and over again and he was sure he wasn't breathing. There was no way out of this. Spirits wouldn't mess with prayers and Sam, being the good girl that didn't have the ability to lie...would never lie even if her life depended on it. His eyes widened at his realization. _"Sam would definitely never lie to God. "_

"What do you have to say now?" The spirit who was still there asked as she fluttered and stood in front of him but Scam found that he still couldn't speak. The shock had simply stolen his thoughts and he didn't know what to say. Watching him carefully the spirit continued. "Sam's miserable without you, you've seen it with your own eyes now," she whispered. Biting his cheek Scam took a short breath. "No..." he said still in shock before saying it again only louder. "No you're wrong... I've never seen Sam upset!" he protested while ignoring the images he had seen just for the moment. "She's a strong person," he said reasonably, trying hard to make sense. "And if she felt anything like the way you're saying she would have said something by now," he finished, his voice firm. Raising a doubtful eyebrow the spirit silently wondered where all of Tim Scam's intelligence had gone to now.

"To who?" she asked in a harsh whisper. "Her friends? So they could laugh at her for loving their enemy? Ask her what's wrong with her brain for feeling this way for a man who wants her dead?" she spat, finally losing her temper. "Or to Jerry?" she whispered. "So he could fire her from W.O.O.H.P? Never trust her on another mission?" she asked, her voice slowly growing louder. "Or to YOU?" she said while pointing an accusing finger his way. " A man who would never care about her heart? A man who hurt her once before? Who would probably use her feelings if you knew she ever had them?" Hearing her angry words Scam found himself slowly looking down, far away from her soul-searching gaze.

Taking a deep breath the spirit before him crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head in discontent. "Please don't stand there and say Sam didn't admit her feelings because it's YOU that never gave her the chance, " she whispered and Scam felt his jaw tense even more at the accusation. "So she hides it because it's the sensible thing to do," she said before taking a long look at his downcast gaze. Floating over to him she took hold of his face and lifted it up making him look at her. "But on some quiet nights when she's all alone her mind wanders..." She whispered while running her fingers against this the sides of his face comfortingly. "Just as your's does when you're laying awake in your jail cell. "A small frown formed on her lips as she kept her gaze on his questioning eyes. " Only you're thinking of how to kill her and she?..." She paused before breathing out the rest. "She's just wishing you loved her."

Not bothering to try to remove the hold she had on his face Scam pressed his lips together in a thin line while he thought long and hard. "…No," he said slowly and the spirit released his face, disappointed at him denying her again. Seeing the annoyed look on the ghost's face Scam frowned. "Look, she's not pining for me," he said, still trying to make his point. Taking a step away from the shadowy figure Scam walked over and grabbed his tank top and put it on as he bought time and thought of a response. Turning around after having gotten something he shrugged. "Sam's had boyfriends you know? In the last three years." Rolling her eyes the spirit knew he was even more desperate to win than before. That was what was making him say this nonsense. Flying over to him she stood with her feet touching his bare ones. "You've been keeping track?" she asked making Scam shoot a glare at her. "No," he spat. "But she has a friend like Clover, I'm sure she has gone on dates in the last three years," he muttered with a glare as if that was something she had already ought to know. Smirking slightly the spirit placed her hands on her hips.

"Actually… you're right she has looked at men besides you," she whispered while watching him staring at her in doubt and she knew he was wondering why she was suddenly letting him make his point. "Their names were David, James and Dean...can you figure out what they all have in common Tim?" Looking at the hovering spirit he thought over the men she had mentioned. He knew Dean as one of the spies that worked at W.O.O.H.P, he had seen that idiot named James only once as he had been being dragged into a prison cell kicking and screaming, and he had seen David once or twice. But he couldn't make any link between them besides Sam's interest. After another moment of thinking he shook his head. "No." The spirit only smirked harder at his answer knowing she had him now. Snapping her fingers she quickly made the images of the mentioned men appear before him. "Take a look Tim Scam," she said softly. "Isn't it strange how they all have green eyes and dark, brown hair and tanned skin?"

Scam's face fell slack as he glanced at the images easily seeing what she was talking about. Watching him standing there in silence and knowing she had to draw everything out for this man, the spirit went over to him and picked up one of his arms. She slowly ran her index finger down his skin making him focus on his arm. "Tanned skin..." she said before releasing his arm and moving her hand up where she slightly ran her fingers through his hair. "Brown hair.." she whispered before peering straight into his eyes and smirking. "Green eyes." Tim Scam's mouth sealed itself tighter as he realized what she was suggesting and it took him some time to come up with a response that he wasn't even proud of. "That could be a coincidence," he murmured making the spirit shake her head as she watched him with a victorious smirk. "And so is praying for TIM SCAM?..." she said making him go rigid on the spot.

Sighing slightly, Scam found himself speechless all over again. Believing she had made her point the spirit's eyes flew to the clock and she smiled knowing she had done it right in time because it was her turn to leave. Glancing at him one last time she smiled. "Don't be blind on purpose…" she whispered softly while coming closer to him and holding his handsome, but disturbed face in her feather-light hands. "You have a set of very beautiful eyes…" she said while stroking his cheek in an attempt to calm his racing heartbeat. "Use them right Tim, see what you're missing before it's too late," she said warningly before placing a quick kiss on his cheek and fading away.

After she left Scam took a moment to start breathing again. Slowly raising his hand he touched his cheek where her icy kiss was still lingering on his skin. By now he knew this was no dream, he had figured that out the moment the ghost of present had arrived. This was all real. It was all happening. Shocked and confused Scam slowly paced around his dark room in silence. Sam, his enemy, had feelings for him. "She loves me..." he slowly whispered to himself while his brain, his brain that had never failed him before failed to understand how this had happened. How could Sam be in love with him?

Pausing for a moment Scam remembered how sometimes during their fights Sam looked more angry at him than her other friends. As if she was disappointed in him more than the rest. Taking a slow breath Scam also remembered now the memory he hadn't cared for before. How all those years ago when she had "broken-up" with him when she learned he was evil she had looked heartbroken. _"But..." _Scam thought._ "But the next time that we met...she seemed cold and hateful…" _he thought remembering how intent she had been to throw him back in jail. It had been her attitude that had convinced him that her crush was silly, or else he would have attempted to use her feelings in some plan of his.

"But if she always had feelings for me then why was she so cold?" he wondered out loud not understanding the reasoning behind that. Sighing tiredly Scam rolled back his shoulders, not surprised when he heard them crack as he had gotten no sleep tonight. But after everything he had witnessed he wasn't even sure he could manage sleep right now. _"How could anyone get so stuck on a man like me?" _he thought, while he kept pacing. That thought bothered him even more because it was Sam he was dealing with here. Sam of all people. Scam had to admit she was smart, very smart, almost as intelligent and logical as him. _"Then how?...How can she love me?" _he thought, stopping in the centre of his bedroom with his thoughts in a tangled knot only to have one memory from the ghost who had just been with him come running back. _"Love doesn't have to be logical," _she had said when he had asked her a similar question. Biting his lip Scam found that for the first time he wished he could understand love. He was to put it simply, lost.

Feeling a yawn coming on Scam stretched his shoulders and tried to stay awake. Suddenly he didn't care for sleep. He was too confused to sleep._ "I have to know..." _he said to himself. _"I have to know how it ends for Sam, she has to know she can't be with a criminal,"_ he thought before a small sigh escaping him again. _"She'll probably move on,"_ he thought, strangely seeking comfort in that thought. _"She's a smart girl and for some reason she's infatuated..."_ he thought, deciding on another word than the one the ghosts so far had used to describe her feelings for him.

"She'll find a replacement," Scam muttered while thinking of the three men she had shown interest in and ignoring how sad her attempts had been, how they only speak of her desire for him because he didn't want to think about that. _"She'll find another, someday soon," _he thought knowing it was true as he went and sat on his bed. Keeping his eyes open he tried not to sleep as he waited for the Ghost of Christmas Future, the last one who was supposed to pay him a visit to show up.

* * *

"Get up!" a thunderously angry voice screamed before Scam felt his body being thrown off the bed. His eyes flew open and upon reflex his arms shot out, keeping his body from slamming straight into the wall where it had been headed. Turning his head in shock Scam's eyes widened when he saw another ghostly spirit hovering in the air behind him. _"She must be the Ghost of Christmas Future,"_ he thought while looking at the spirit who was again in Sam's form, only she seemed older by a few years. Scam's eyes narrowed as he watched her, wondering if it was just him or if she seemed almost bitter while he put his weight back on his legs and got out of his push-up stance.

"I am the Ghost of Christmas future," the spirit announced almost ominously as she looked at him with a look Scam recognized instantly. It was a look of pure hatred. _"Why is she so angry?"_ he thought remembering how the past two ghosts hadn't seemed really upset and he had to wonder what this one looked just about ready to hit him. Then again, judging by her entrance he wouldn't put it past her. "So..." the spirit asked, her eyebrow raised inquisitively. "How has your evening been so far?"

Frowning at the strange question Scam could only blink in confusion as he stared at the glaring spirit. Still glaring heatedly she gave him a shrug. "Had any good laughs?" she asked, changing the question as she hovered a little closer to him and settled down on the floor. Still puzzled, Scam blinked a few times and took a quiet breath before talking. "What are you talking about?" he asked, his voice in hushed whisper. Crossing her arms over her chest the spirit looked at him innocently. "Oh I'm sorry.." she said in what could only be described as a mock apologetic tone. "I thought you had heard Sam Simpson praying tonight. You didn't?" she asked before a little smirk crossed her lips. "You must have laughed at that," she said leaving him to narrow his eyes in confusion. Keeping her eyes on his face the spirit let out a small laugh. "She's pretty dumb, that Samantha," she said still laughing. "For someone with such talent, such mental power to love a monster like YOU..." she said with another smirk. "She must be such an idiot."

Listening to her words Scam's fist slowly curled at his side. Why was she insulting Sam? Taking note of his silence the spirit smirked. "Do you know why she prays Tim?" she asked, still looking amused and he couldn't figure out why. When he stayed quiet and didn't answer, the spirit raised an eyebrow "No?" she asked pausing for a moment. "It's because she believes in God...and sadly despite knowing better..." she said while her eyes looked at him coldly, disappointment glinting in them. "She also believes in YOU."

Scam's jaw twitched in reaction to her words, something she seemed to notice and take delight in as she let out a long laugh. "She's pretty dumb isn't she?" she said making him clench his fist harder. For some reason Scam found himself hoping she would stop insulting Sam Simpson. "Why aren't you laughing?" she asked suddenly while giving him a curious glance as if he was acting out of character. Her curiosity only seemed to grow as he looked at her with a silent frown. "Isn't it funny Scam?" she said, while resting a thoughtful finger on her chin. "Isn't it downright hilarious how the most perfect, the most moral spy out of all your little enemies has feelings for you?" she said, her voice unnaturally calm as she shrugged while taking in his silence. "Go ahead and laugh at her," she coaxed while watching his jaw tense some more. "You don't need to keep it in!" she let out a gasp. "I mean we all did when we found out," she said, sneering a little as she pointed to herself before slowly a small sigh escaped her lips. "We also felt pity but..." she said while looking him in the eye. "Since you are incapable of such an emotion go ahead and sneer at her, she is stupid after all, incredibly stupid!" she screamed leaving his frown to deepen as he heard her.

_"Why does she have to keep insulting Sam?" _he thought again while no words left his mouth at this spirit's strange behaviour. "Yet she's smart enough to know..." she said slowly breaking into his thoughts and Scam looked up to find her peering at him intently. "She knows that one day you're going to die abruptly at the hands of some agent, she knows that agent could be her and every time she prays for that day to never come," she said, an acidic glare now on the face that had just been calm leaving Scam to take a small step back. Glaring harder she came closer to him, not letting him get away. "Why? Why does she pray?" she hissed, getting right up in his face as she slowly clutched his shoulders in a grip harder than any he had experienced before.

Grunting, Scam tried to ignore her nails that were now digging into his flesh as he tried to get away, shocked that his strength did nothing to make her let him go. Holding him still she frowned, "It's because she doesn't want YOU to die or get hurt in any way," she growled, snickering when his eyes widened. "Ironic isn't it?" she spat while glaring at him hatefully. "Because all you want is for her to die, be hurt, injured and broken," she spat while her nails clawed deeper almost leaving holes in his skin and he couldn't help but wince slightly at the pain. Moving her hands up she grabbed his jaw and glared right into his discontented face. "All you want is the death of the girl who wants you to live. Amazing isn't it? How ruthless and cold you are?" she said before suddenly dropping her hold on him when he raised an arm and quickly pushed her away.

Glaring at the spirit Scam took a few quick breaths and rubbed his tired shoulder while cursing at her in his mind. Ignoring his inflamed response to her words the ghost smirked. "But never mind all that, those words are just compliments to you!" she said in a sugar syrupy voice, leaving him to raise an eyebrow in confusion at her sudden mood change. Moving away from him the spirit turned and looked at him with interest. "Let me show you something you'd really be interested in," she said while absently twirling a lock of her long, red, hair while he continued to look at her in confusion. "Your plans for next Christmas Scam…You're planning on spreading a poison bomb around W.O.O.H.P headquarters right?" Scam stiffened, his eyes widening as he realized that she was mentioning the plan he had made just hours ago before he had fallen asleep in his jail cell. Before this entire ordeal had began. Seeing recognition flash on his face the ghost continued. "Let me show you how it works out," she said, slowly raising her hands and he could tell she was going to show him his future.

"My future?" he asked, not wanting to have to deal with this angry spirit for longer than he had to. "I'm going to die right? Or get hurt? I don't really care," he said and soon he was smirking as he followed the story of Scrooge in his head. In that story Scrooge was meant to die a lonely death. If that was what she wanted to show him, he didn't care because he had never feared pain or death. Glancing at him she placed a hand on her waist and raised an eyebrow. "Who said you were going to die?" she said leaving his face to twist in surprise while his eyes narrowed at his lack of understanding. _"__What does she mean?__"_he thought before he felt wind rush by him and soon he was standing at W.O.O.H.P headquarters, outside one of the windows that looked into the room with W.O.O.H.P's core. He stiffened remembering how this was the room he planned to plant the bomb in.

"This is it right?" she asked. "The room you're planning on planting your bomb in?" she said before slightly pushing him to look through the window. "Go on, take a look at how well your plan works out." Blinking for a moment Scam took a breath before moving to glance into the window knowing he was going to see himself dead despite her saying he wasn't going to die. But when he peeked through the window his eyes widened, shock burned at every recess of his mind as he saw Sam standing there staring at the bomb he had strapped with nothing but sadness on her features. And suddenly he knew just how things were going to end.

"When you plant that bomb…Sam will find out," the ghost behind him whispered while he watched Sam sighing sadly before she started closing off the exits to the room, stopping the gas that was meant to spread from here to other parts of W.O.O.H.P as he had planned. "She will protect W.O.O.H.P by closing off all ways in and out of that room and she will stay to make sure the poison doesn't spread," she said and his eyes only widened more and more as he watched her doing exactly what the spirit was foretelling. "Do you know why she's going to do that?" she asked, slowly grabbing his arm and pulling him away from the window to make him look at her. Frowning, Scam reluctantly moved his eyes from the girl inside the room and glanced at the ghost before him. "To save agents from dying…" he said, it sounding more like a question than a sure reply.

The spirit only glared while turning him back to face the window where Sam was now coughing from the toxic fumes. 'She's going to do it to save you," she spat leaving him to turn and give her a lost glance because he didn't see himself anywhere in the room or even near by it. Sensing his confusion the ghost sighed. "Sam will risk her life to keep the poison from spreading further so that **YOU** won't be in trouble for killing more people!" She shouted and Scam's mouth slightly fell open. Shaking her head in rage the spirit continued. "She doesn't want you to add to your long list of crimes!" she screamed while Scam watched Sam collapse inside the room. "She doesn't want the murder of those hundreds of agents on your name! She'd rather put herself in harm!" she screamed while Scam's eyes remained glued to the girl who was now pale and nearly lifeless on the floor.

Without noticing, his feet started moving towards one of the exits as his hand unconsciously moved to pull the door open, but before he touched the metal surface the image had vanished before his eyes and he was left standing in his dark bedroom with only the ghost who seething next to him.

"Sam's so naïve making sacrifices for you!" she screamed making him snap out of his trance and look at the angry, raging spirit while in the back of his mind he remained shocked at what he had just been about to do, about how he had been moving to save his enemy. _'"Enemy…" _he thought, the word no longer really pulling up the image of the redhead like it always had. Taking a deep breath the ghost stepped away from the man that made her just want to hurt him. "You know she has an entirely different vision of a future? One with no pain and misery?" she said, before turning her head and looking at the silent man with anger in her emerald gaze. "One that includes YOU?" she whispered harshly leaving him standing there again with widened eyes. Before he could even ask what she meant the spirit had raised her hands and created an image and this time Scam was standing in his own mansion only downstairs in the living room.

Glancing around, his eyes widened when he saw a picture hanging on a wall. In it, a happy smile was on Sam's face as he stood with his arms around her shoulders from behind, a smile rivalling her own on his face. Scam blinked in surprise, never honestly having had seen himself look so happy before. Hearing a sweet voice whispering his name, Scam tore his eyes away from the photograph to gasp slightly when he saw the scene before him now. Right there in front of him, Sam was standing there looking just a couple of years older than he remembered dressed in a long blue gown, a diamond necklace around her neck but the thing that dazzled most was her smile. He had never seen her look this happy and he couldn't help but wonder what was making her smile.

A moment later she slowly started walking towards him with her arms out as if she was going to hug him and Scam stood frozen as she came right to him, smiling harder and reaching up only to slip right through his skin. After the shock of her static form faded through his body he whipped around to find her again. His breath caught in his throat and eyes only widened more when he saw who Sam was wrapping her arms around.

Staring at Sam with a smile openly on his face, holding her tightly with her waist was none other than himself. Tim Scam watched unblinkingly as he saw himself leaning down and kissing her passionately while drawing her body as close to himself as possible, until their was no space to speak of in between their bodies. Shocked at the image Scam snapped out of his trance when he heard what sounded like the playful giggling of children and he turned his head in the opposite direction only to see two children now running towards him before they slipped through him and stood before Sam and his other self. Watching the couple before him separate and lean down to talk to the children he heard their words. "My little Phoebe," Sam whispered while running her fingers though the little girl's red hair and picking her up and soon he could see the child giggling joyfully, a splitting image of Sam's childhood form with excitement shining in her sea-foam coloured eyes.

"_My eyes… " _Scam silently observed as he watched his other form ruffle the little, slightly older kid's auburn hair while the boy smiled brightly. "Ethan," he heard himself say proudly and he realized that was the child's name. His son's name. _"My children…" _he thought, taking in how much the little ones reflected him and Sam, how much Phoebe's innocent smile looked like Sam's, how much Ethan looked like him when he smirked and said something to his father… To **him**, as he stood there smiling, his arms around his kids and his wife he realized, as he noted the wedding ring on Sam's ring finger as she leaned her head on his shoulder. _"Wife…" _he thought, his eyes never leaving Sam Simpson's beautiful form while his lips began to upturn at the corners. Sam was HIS wife.

"But let's get real, that's never gonna happen," the spirit behind him said suddenly before the image vanished in a flash, just as soon as he was beginning to enjoy it. Despite standing back in bedroom again Scam's eyes remained dead ahead, as if he was still looking at the image that had been before him just seconds ago.

As if he was still trying to make it last.

"Sam's so naïve, so wishful," the spirit spat in a harsh whisper finally making Scam blink and look away from the wall he had been staring at for at least five minutes. "Speaking of her naivety…." she said and he regretfully looked up to find her glaring in his direction. "Do you know how many nights she's cried?" she asked. "Do you know how many Christmases she's prayed that you would change?" she spat leaving him to look back at her wordlessly as he remembered Sam's prayers, her sadness on Christmas day after the year she had met him.

Finding him silent the ghost went on, anger spilling from her fiery gaze. "Do you know how many times she's gone to bed with your name being the last on her mind?" she whispered angrily. "Her every dream about you? About you suffering? Dying?" she screamed but he could say nothing in his defence as images of Sam's tormented sleeping, her cries of his name re-formed themselves in his mind so vividly that he couldn't ignore them even if he tried. "No you're not scared that you're going die with the life you lead, why should you be?…" she hissed furiously while never lowering the intensity of her glare. "You have HER to be scared for you!" Lowering his eyes away from the fuming spirit Tim Scam tried to control the way his heart was beating, the way his jaw was twitching the way his chest felt heavy at her angry screams of rage.

After a moment of catching her breath the ghost shook her head and let out a sigh but he knew better than to look at her. "I don't know why she bothers…I don't know why she torments herself by thinking of a future that she knows will never be," she whispered before she fluttered over to him and forced Scam to look up with a burst of her power. 'Let me show you what happens Scam," she muttered now sounding sad. "Let me show you how it all ends for Sam," she said and he was left wondering what could possibly be worse than the image of a half-dead, poisoned Sam. He quickly realized he didn't want to know and ignored how he wasn't even ashamed at that thought as worry formed on his features, leaking though his normally neutral look. The same, impassive, careless look that had been glued to his face for the last 25 years of his life.

Ignoring the hints of panic rising on Tim Scam's abnormally pale face the ghost smirked. "I know you'll enjoy it a lot more than Sam's silly, stupid dream," she spat and Scam felt his lips form a deep frown. And nothing he did could stop him from remembering the image of Sam kissing him, smiling at him, the images of his two children who were a clear combination of him and her. The most perfect children in the world.

Scam blinked when he felt cold suddenly hit his body and he realized that while he had been deep in thought the spirit had taken him outside. Blinking in the darkness his eyes narrowed when he saw that he was surrounded by gravestones and he stiffened immediately not liking the ominous feeling in his gut when he realized he was standing in a cemetery. _"__Why am I here?__"_he thought only to have the ghost next to him nudge him forward. "Walk," she ordered and he found his feet frozen on the spot, not willing to move only to have her use a gust of wind to force him along. This went on for several moments , with his feet barely walking on their own as the dreadful feeling only grew and his instincts blared like sirens.

When the gust of wind stopped Scam's feet stopped as well and he found he was now standing in front of one, lonely grave that was standing separate from all the others. "Go on," she whispered emotionlessly, her voice now as ghostly as her faded form as she floated beside him, pushing him closer to the grave. "Take a look at who's grave it is," she said before pushing him right to it, so close that even if he had tried he couldn't have avoided seeing the name.

Scam's eyes widened as he stared dead ahead at the words engraved on the gravestone as it stood there abandoned amongst the snow, adorned with only snapped and broken branches from the dead trees that dangled above. "No…" he whispered, the words escaping his mouth almost too silently to be heard because shock had simply stolen the magnitude from his once adamant tone. His whisper came out faded and muted by the sounds of the rushing late December wind as snow fell silently from the sky. Scam's eyes remained on the name printed on the cold stone, not believing what his eyes were showing him.

**Not her…not like this. **

A gust of icy wind sent the hair at the back of his head rushing up a little as he felt the ghostly presence move closer to him. "Just what you always wanted…" a female voice jabbed from behind leaving his mouth to slightly part at the truthful indictment being laid on him. His eyes closed as he stood there trying to block out the sight of the grave before him. A moment later his lips were moving as broken, confused words left him. "..This can't be right," his lips muttered in tormented, unheard agony. "It can't be right…" he whispered again and again while keeping his eyes closed, not wanting to see what he would have if he looked again.

He didn't want to feel this feeling….this dare he say it…guilt. From behind his closed eyes Scam saw nothing in his mind but images upon images of the bright, caring, wonderful girl in question. The soulful prayers she had prayed for him suddenly filled his ears and his chest felt heavy as a place inside him that had never moved before choked and clenched with despair. He had never felt this confused before…. He had never felt this lost and unprepared.

A cold laugh rang out in the darkness, filling his ears with the mockery from the listener's tone. "Not right?" she asked with amusement as he felt her draw closer and soon the spectral figure was standing right next to him. Tim bit his cheek when he felt her frigid, icy presence flutter against his side. "What's not right, Tim?" she asked innocently but he could sense all the coaxing in her voice. He kept his eyes closed while trying to ignore the reality that surrounded him. "Open your eyes Tim," the voice commanded firmly leaving his jaw to twitch as he struggled not to react. "I said open your eyes," she said louder, her voice causing waves in the silence as it boomed off the cold gravestones of the cemetery. Scam kept his eyes closed as he willed himself not to hear the harsh commands of the figure that stood next to him, watching his every move with a focused gaze.

Another laugh ran out in the darkness as the presence lightly touched his shoulder to get his attention. "Open you eyes Tim Scam…" she said for the third time. He squeezed his eyes shut harder as he ignored the unnaturally demanding whisper that spoke in his ear. She whispered again, her ice-cold breath hitting his cheek with a chilling force. "Come on open you eyes… and take a look at the most perfect, satisfying sight you will ever lay your eyes on." His eyes sewed themselves closed tighter as he slightly shook his head. "No," he said absentmindedly while his mind remained plagued with memories of her eyes that had always been filled with life and fighting spirit whenever she had looked at him. How could that light ever die out? How could it be extinguished so soon?

Standing there in the biting quiet, he no longer found it strange that he was refusing, that he was failing to believe she could ever die. Scam's mouth formed a frown as he thought about it. Even at his own cold, unforgiving hands, Samantha Simpson could never be killed. It just wouldn't make sense. This had to be a mistake, he told himself as his brain struggled to try and reason around this. _"And isn't good supposed to triumph over evil?" _Scam thought while ignoring how much his thoughts sounded unlike his own. Even if he had never willed himself to believe it, even if he had forced himself to forget it, wasn't that how things were supposed to go? Wasn't that the most probable reason why he hadn't been able to defeat the spies before? Wasn't the moral, good person always supposed to win in some way?

That was what was told to everyone who was raised to be a good, honourable person, was it not? They were told to be good and somehow things would work out in the end. Scam felt his jaw twitching as memories from long ago came rushing back to him. That was exactly what **HE **himself had been told as a child, by his parents and had chosen to forget when life threw nothing but misery at him. But he knew Sam was a good person who had never forgotten to be good and moral. She never did anything wrong.

Confusion pounded away at his mind as he thought about it. Then how could she just die?

**It didn't make sense. **

How could she be punished? How could she be killed by something so evil and brutal, by one of his plans, when she was such a good person? It didn't work out, it didn't make any sense at all. If the laws made by morality that he had never cared for were right, as people always said they were then he should have died before he caused any harm to her. _"Then how can she die at __**my**__ hands?" _Scam thought not understanding anything at all by now.

"You killed her," an accusing, cold voice charged from behind him. _"..This isn't right... it doesn't feel right," _he thought while ignoring the condemning words being spoken to him. "You killed her!" the angry voice screamed again and he finally opened his eyes, glancing solemnly at Sam's grave because he had finally realized that she was right. Standing there in the eerie silence Scam knew he wasn't happy. After years of wanting this girl dead, now seeing her grave gave him nothing but sorrow. He could draw no happiness, no joy from the image of her ice-cold grave, her resting place, her untimely end at his own selfish hands. Deep in thought he didn't notice when the cemetery disappeared and he was once again in his room. He didn't notice anything until the ghost started speaking to him again. "You can try to change your method," she said softly while coming closer to him. "What are you going to do? Shoot Jerry?" she asked and his jaw twitched at how predictable he was to her as she stood there glaring.

"Let me tell you now Scam, she'll be the one to take the bullet," she hissed while crossing her arms over her chest. "I know the future Tim and as long as you are this way within it, she will suffer..." She said warningly leaving him to stare fixedly at the floor as the image of Sam's grave never left his mind, never stopped bothering him for even one quick second.

"But why should you care?" she said with a mock chuckle. "You shouldn't, You should not," she repeated while pointing an accusing finger his way. "You can't care, it's not like you to care, not even for the one person in the world who cares for you," she said in an icy whisper before smirking. "If you cared…. you wouldn't be Tim Scam ,would you?" Scam's mouth remained sealed as he listened to her spiteful tone with his fists clenched at his sides, his jaw wrought tense. Raising her hands she soon made another image form in front of Scam's eyes where he was staring at the floor. His eyes filled with panic as she saw Sam being hit be a bullet that he had aimed at Jerry before her body hit the floor with a crash, her blood spraying everywhere.

Taking a shallow breath he glanced at the wall before him to escape the brutal picture only to gasp when he saw another image reflected there. This time Sam was lying dead in a pool of her own blood with a dagger sticking out of her back, one that he was sure he had thrown. Breathing deeply Scam again glanced away from the picture and stared at the ceiling only to hear the spirit let out a laugh that echoed throughout the whole room and form another image, stained with Sam's blood form before his eyes. Shrinking back from the ceiling, almost falling he took a shaky breath knowing he was being driven crazy. Clenching his teeth and breathing rapidly Scam closed his eyes to escape the images only to hear the ghost laugh again as she ordered him to open his eyes. He didn't listen and soon she was screaming.

"Open your eyes!" She shouted but he only backed away with his eyes sealed shut. "Open you eyes Scam!" she snarled but his feet moved farther, never stopping until his back hit a wall. "Open your eyes!" She screamed again and he heard that her voice was closer leaving him to only seal his eyes tighter. A shocked gasp left his mouth when an image of Sam's dead body formed before his closed eyelids and he snapped his eyes open only to find scenes of Sam's blood, her torn, dead body floating everywhere around him with the spirit commanding them standing, glaring at him in the centre.

"Stop!" he found himself screaming while he struggled to find a place where he could see something other than the redhead's corpse only to find none. "I said stop!" he screamed again only making her speak again. "What's wrong Tim Scam?" she spat. "Don't like what you see?" she said mockingly and Scam threw her a hateful glare. "Shut up!" he growled before his hand reached out, grabbing the lamp off his beside table and before he could top himself he had flung it at her full force. He was left standing shocked as the bloody images didn't vanish and she only flickered out of existence for two seconds while the lamp hit the floor and then she was back pulling up more gory images for him to look at.

Realizing that he couldn't stop her Scam closed his eyes in agony something that made her laugh in amusement as he felt her body drift closer to his. "Aren't you enjoying your plans in action?" she asked, contempt deep-seeded in her tone. "You've wanted this for years, Sam dying. She is the brains of the team and without her there you'll be free to destroy W.O.O.H.P to the core like you've always wanted to!" She screamed and Scam was not surprised that he didn't care about that anymore. W.O.O.H.P, his need for revenge, his anger, his contempt….nothing mattered to him anymore. His ears twitched when she started to scream again.

"All that would happen would be one more good person dying from the world, but who cares right?" she screamed, spite reverberating from her tone, ringing off the walls. "It's just Sam," she muttered. "Just the girl who loves a wicked person like YOU with all her heart!" Scam never opened his eyes as he remembered Sam's voice during her prayer, her quiet, heartbroken voice confessing to God how much she loved him. Taking no mercy on the muted man the spirit shouted all over again. "No you never care how ANYONE feels, so why would you care how she, your enemy FEELS? You would not!" she screamed, shaking from her wrath. "You never will!" she cried leaving his jaw to tense even more.

Taking a shuddering breath the ghost spoke in a slightly calmer tone. "Sometimes, when she's thinking a little more logically…" she whispered while forcing his eyelids to snap open with a flick of her hand. "She wishes you would leave her alone. But you never do, do you?" she asked, staring contemptuously into his distressed eyes. "You're always coming back to dig deeper holes into her already battered heart!" Raising her hands and clenching her fists the pale figure flickered before him. "Every time she manages to pick up the pieces…every time!" she screamed. " You're there to attack her and break her to pieces all over again." A bitter smirk was soon on her lips. "Tell me, does it give you great satisfaction to make her cry?" she asked but he said nothing in response leaving her to shake her in a knowing way.

"It must," she said firmly. "It must make you soooooo happy to know how badly you hurt her!" she roared. "Physically, emotionally, you just want to hurt her and you do such an exceptional job!" she howled before her face fell and she sighed before looking at him again. "She's a strong person so she's living like this, she's able to separate her heart and her mind and live like a robot at least on the surface…" she said before a slow tear rolled down her cheek. "But tell me, does anyone deserve that kind of life?" she asked him while his mouth remained glued shut never answering any of her questions. "She certainly does not," she answered for him. "A caring, kind, pure soul like her deserves a man who cares, not someone like you but alas...she wants you," she whispered sadly and he slowly, reluctantly glanced up at the spirit's angry, broken face. "Why?…"she said slowly while shaking her head. "We'll never know." Taking a shaky breath Scam nodded slowly while looking away from her again.

"It's funny though…" she said, starting again when he had hoped she was done. "No actually it's downright pathetic," she said sounding disappointed. "Someone as smart as her has no control over her own heart." She sighed while casting a cold glance his way. "Or perhaps she likes the pain of pining over you hmm?..." She said softly while she moved and soon she was circling around him. "It sure seems that way. She has hope for a hopeless situation even though she knows her heart will always be broken by you." She smirked decisively. "So she must love being in depression and misery." Her smirk widened as she kept her gaze fixed on him. "Is that it? Yes? Yes, she must love getting hurt," she said almost jokingly before her smirk vanished behind a glare and she pulled him to look at her with his rigid jaw.

"Does that sound like what love's supposed to be like?" She hissed while he blinked wordlessly not knowing what to say. "Love is supposed to be beautiful..' she explained while her grip tightened on his face. "It's supposed to warm the heart not make it hurt and bleed the way hers does when she thinks of you!" A look of disgust crossed her angry features. "Do you think she even likes loving YOU?" she snarled before she dropped her grip and looked away from him for a moment and sighed. "But she has no choice…" she whispered before she turned and gave him another malicious frown. "Because you're stuck in her heart like a knife….you're lodged into her heart, in a place from which she can not lock you out of."

Her glare intensified on her white face. "You can escape from every prison, the great Tim Scam that you are!" she said with false awe in her tone. "But it seems you can't get out of her heart, her thoughts, her hopes or her dreams." Listening to her words he remained silent knowing he was losing here, that he was no longer being able to work his way out of anything being said but he didn't care. "You may go to prison and just forget about the girl that helped put you in there…" the spirit said calmly. "But she? She never stops thinking about you, she's never just able to not feel guilty for locking you up...even if you do deserve it." Blinking slowly after a long moment he said nothing knowing she was right.

"Do you have any idea how many times she cries right after putting you in jail? No right? Why would she cry? You're her enemy! But guess what Tim Scam?" She asked with a pointed look of pure frustration that he didn't even see because he no longer had the will to look her in the eye. "She DOES cry for YOU," she whispered with a glare before she started screaming again. "Why does she care for you?" she asked him but he said nothing. "Answer me! Why does Samantha stop you from getting hurt!" she questioned but his mouth never moved out of its frown. "Why does an innocent, wonderful girl like her donate blood FOR someone like you!" she hissed. "Why does she cry for you? Why does she pray for you?" she shouted, her angry questions ripping through his eardrums, his entire being and his awakened conscience. "Why does she THINK of you!" she spat. "Why Tim?…Why?"

After what seemed like hours of silence, after her angry screams finally died down he finally gave her his answer in a quiet, lost, lonely whisper. "...I… I don't know," Scam said, never having sounding more forlorn in all his life. The spirit before him only scoffed at this whisper as she slowly drew closer to him and stopped right before him. "Why do you look so sad?" she asked with a careless shrug. "You should be laughing, rejoicing, should you not?" she said, her voice growing angry again as she studied his tormented expression with a glare. "You know it hurts Sam to have you in her heart," she said, speaking as if he didn't already know. "That's great!" she said, clapping her hands together as if she was excited. "That's exactly what you want!" she said before throwing him another glare. "Here let me give you more to laugh at. Let me show you some more things you'll just love to see," she said and Scam's eyes widened as he opened his mouth to tell her to stop.

He didn't want to see any more. But when he looked up to tell her to leave him alone his eyes widened when he saw another image of Sam's grave fluttering before his eyes. He didn't need to keep staring at the image to see the words that were printed on it. Words that described her as a loving daughter and friend who had died much too early.

**Died because of him.**

The image changed again and this time he was staring at a clipping from W.O.O.H.P.'s file, an article about how Sam Simpson, one of their best had died at the hands of a ruthless killer. He didn't need to read the article to know that killer was him. The next image was of a sermon held at W.O.O.H.P on Christmas day with Jerry, Clover and Alex crying as they agonized over the memory of their innocent friend. "Drink in her sadness, her sorrow!" the spirit screamed making him sigh when he heard her voice again. "It'll make you even stronger, even happier to know HOW WELL you hurt your enemy!" she roared before the images changed into ones he had seen before. Soon he saw her crying again, heard her whispering his name in her sleep. They were blaring signals of the truth he could not ignore. Those images, those memories hurt even more that what the ghost hovering all around him was saying. "Enjoy it Scam!" she spat while the images kept coming more and more and Tim Scam felt like his head was going to explode.

"_I wish he has a good life…" _Sam's whispered prayer filled his ears as images of her lifeless, cold body panged at every corner of his guilty mind. "Don't you just love to hear her cry?" the ghost roared while more images of Sam's untimely death formed on the wall before him leaving him to sew his eyes shut closely together. He didn't want to see her dying. He didn't want to see her blood, her tears, her pain._ "…I don't" _he took a deep breath before he made up his mind. _"I don't want her to die," _he confessed to himself._ "I don't want to be the one to kill the girl I..." _he took a shaky breath as his feelings fell straight into place. "_Love..." _he realized, knowing that he couldn't refrain from loving the one girl who loved a monster like him. Soon his eyes slowly opened and glanced at the image still being shown before him. The image of Sam's dead, pale, drained body.

"You win, Tim Scam! The spirit screamed, her own eyes on the vision never noticing the torment on his face as he glanced at the image that he now hated with every fibre of his being. "Sam is going to die at your hands!" she shouted still not looking at him. "Congratulations!" was the final scream that left her mouth before an angry growl erupted from Scam's throat, finally drawing her attention as she turned just in time to see him pick up the lamp he had thrown at her before, only this time he flung it at the wall where the picture of Sam's dead body was flickering.

The lamp hit the surface with a sudden force, a crashing sound that proved his strength, and soon the image vanished into a puff of smoke. And all that remained was the crack on the broken wall as Tim Scam stood there breathing deeply in the sudden silence. When he finally got a hold on his rampant breaths and racing nerves he turned and glanced at the ghost who was watching him with wide, curious eyes. As if she was waiting for an explanation for his actions.

Clearing his head of everything but Sam, Scam gave the hovering spirit a unwavering look. "She won't die…" he said firmly while his fist clenched in determination and his eyes reflected nothing but honesty. "I won't let Sam die."

Silently watching him for a moment the spirit took in the look on his face. The raw determination that she found there and she knew simply from the sound of his voice and the look in his eyes that he meant every word of what he was saying. Tim Scam was finally a changed man. Giving him a little nod the spirit disappeared, finally leaving him all alone for the first time tonight.

* * *

As he opened the downstairs window stealthily, he wondered if it was the right idea, coming to her house at 5 am in the morning. But he had to see her, he had to make sure she was okay. Staying completely quiet he surveyed the house, making sure there was no one there before he started walking up the stairs to her room, to where he knew she would be. Ever since the ghosts had left him, there hadn't been one moment when he had been able to stop thinking of the redhead who had turned his entire world upside down in one night. There was so much that he had been through since the last time he had seen her in the flesh.

Stopping outside her door he paused for a moment trying to figure out what he was going to say to her. _"I'm not even sure how to speak to her," _he thought, sighing when he remembered how brute and sarcastic he had been to her in the past. Would she even want to listen to him? Would she even hear him out? _"I have to try", _he told himself, taking a deep breath before he finally turned the handle and slipped inside.

His breath stopped in his lungs as he saw her laying there on her bed, moonlight from the window pouring in and highlighting her porcelain skin. Why hadn't he noticed how beautiful she was before?_ "Because I was too blind to see what was right before me…" _he thought remembering how much Sam loved him. "She loves me…" he whispered under his breath, still not fully believing that thought as he slowly, carefully walked closer to the sleeping girl. His lips turned into a small smile while his eyes filled up with awe as he studied her perfect image.

There she was with her blanket rolled down halfway, revealing her green pyjama top, ruffled and messy, some buttons undone from a night he knew she had spent tossing and turning. There was a small frown on her face, her crimson hair was spread out around her pillow as her arms lay at her sides, her fists slightly clenched in her sleep. "So beautiful," he whispered before he drew even closer to her sleeping body and soon he was right at her side, peering down at her face. But he still wasn't close enough, he wanted to be nearer to the only person who loved him_. "Why do you love me Sam?"_ he asked her in his thoughts as he kept his gaze glued to her pretty face. A girl like her…she could have anyone she wanted. A man would have to be crazy to not want her but she didn't want just any man. She didn't want David, James or Dean. She wanted him. Only him. Standing there in the silence, Scam still didn't know how to handle that thought.

Leaning down he sat next to her on the bed while his eyes never left her. Smiling at her image he slowly, carefully stroked a lock of her hair away from her forehead as he just sat there watching her sleep, listening to her breathe. After a few moments passed Scam narrowed his eyes in thought wondering how to wake her up. He knew if she woke up and saw him sitting there she would be startled, shocked, confused and possibly angry. But he had to take the chance because he needed to speak to her. Still in thought, Tim trailed his eyes up and down her body before his eyes landed on her lips. Running a hand though his hair he kept his eyes on them knowing he just wanted to kiss her. Regardless of how cliché it was he wanted to kiss her just like the prince would wake up his Sleeping Beauty in that book he had been shown tonight.

Leaning in to her face he watched with her with longing eyes, almost letting his mouth touch hers when he pulled back and sighed. He couldn't just go and kiss her no matter how badly he wanted to. That wouldn't be fair to her. Eyes widening at his thoughts, at the fact that he suddenly cared for something that he would have deemed pathetic just yesterday, Sam's comfort, Scam shook his head silently laughing because he didn't need to think twice to know how much he had really changed. Strangely he wasn't ashamed. He wasn't laughing at himself and labelling himself as a moron for caring about….for loving this girl over one, single night. Because he wasn't the same Tim Scam anymore and there was only thing that he was now ashamed of. _"And that's for ever breaking her heart," _he thought, a small frown on his lips at the guilt that was still weighing down his conscience. Guilt controlling his actions Scam pulled back and sighed quietly because now he was having doubts. What if seeing his face only made her upset? He didn't want that to happen.

Slowly moving his hands he gripped the edge of her blanket and began adjusting it, trying to make her comfortable, a small step to alleviating his guilt. Pulling it up to her chin, Tim smiled as he tucked her in because he knew he was happy with just this much. He was happy to just sit here all night long and just watch her even if inside he knew he wanted to do so much more to the woman he loved without a shade of doubt. Controlling his impulsive thoughts with a sigh, he kept his eyes on her face even though that did nothing to stop the emotions that were racing through him right now. Not being able to resist, Scam slowly leaned in and brushed his lips against her forehead.

Sam's eyes snapped open when she felt a light pressure on her forehead and she blinked sleepily as she fought to clear her vision and see what it was. Her eyes widened as her mouth fell open, her body freezing on the spot when she saw the outline of a person, a man as she figured by his muscular build leaned over her, and he was kissing her forehead. _"Am…am I dreaming?" _she thought, still sleepy and confused until the man pulled away and she saw his face. Scam froze in his place when he saw her eyes open, staring at him fixedly while shock formed everywhere on her face. "Sc-Scam!" Sam screamed, easily recognizing that face of his. _"It is him," _she thought in panic as she recognized his features. _"I've seen his face too many times on missions and far many times in my dreams not to remember," _she thought, before she mentally scolded herself for the last part and rubbed her eyes repeatedly to check if this was an illusion. Taking her hands away she gasped when his image didn't fade and he was still sitting there with his hands in his lap, right in front of her with a calm, peaceful look that she had never seen on his face before. As if nothing evil was on his mind.

Sam gulped dryly as he stared at her, his lips never speaking at all. His eyes seemed to dig holes into her body and she felt every inch of her skin twitter with chills as he simply stared at her. After a few moments of him just staring at her Sam decided she had had enough. Why the hell was Tim Scam, her mortal enemy in her bedroom? _"He must be here to kill me…or take me hostage," _she thought, ignoring how calm he looked at and going slightly pale as she realized she didn't have her gadgets. All she had was only one laser lipstick hidden somewhere under her bed but she didn't know how much of a shot she had at getting it when he was right there.

Noting that he was still staring at her Sam took a deep breath and tried not to panic. _"I can still fight him hand-to-hand," _she reasoned before taking a deep breath and slowly giving him a glare. "What are you doing here?" she screamed, anger in her tone but he only looked at her in silence because that glare no longer bothered him. _"She's just defending herself, questioning my motives," _he thought while his lips remained sealed despite her confused, angry face, because she had a right to defend herself against him and he had never expected her to be happy to see him even if she loved him. _"Not after the way I've tormented her," _he thought, remembering her sad prayers. Hearing no response to her serious question Sam began wondering if he was even here at all. But she knew better than to reach out and touch him. "Scam?" she said, in a questioning whisper as he sat there as still as a statue. Glaring in annoyance at his silence Sam narrowed her eyes and moved a little closer. "Scam!" She shouted hoping her louder scream would get his attention.

Sighing at her angry screams of his name he glanced into her eyes and found himself leaning into her, on impulse, before he could pull himself back. Sam's eyes widened in surprise when his head came closer to hers, his nose almost touching hers before she scrambled back. But that didn't stop him as he slowly crawled closer to her and soon his body was almost up against hers. Eyes peeled wide in shock, Sam took rapid breaths, pressing her back flat against the headboard as Scam came closer and closer.

Not thinking at all Scam let himself move his lips to hers, almost kissing her when he stopped suddenly with his mouth less than an inch away from hers and sighed at the sight of her shocked face. She needed an explanation for this odd behaviour of his. Noticing that he had stopped Sam stared at him with eyes ready to pop out her their sockets while her breathing ceased to calm down. Just a second before she was certain he was going to kiss her. _"What does he think he's doing?" _she thought, lost and feeling more and more like this was some kind of joke or false image.

Taking a deep breath, he pulled back and gave her some space to breath. "Something happened tonight.." He started slowly and Sam jumped when he had spoken his first words since she had seen him. Only his words made no sense. Looking her in the eyes Scam continued. "Something that has changed me in a way that even if I tried...I could never be the same careless, selfish man again..." He said, leaving her eyes to widen in complete, and utter shock. _"Careless, Selfish?" _she thought, never knowing he ever even used those words. Why was he calling himself careless and selfish? Confused and afraid of this man she didn't recognize anymore, Sam found herself backing away on the bed, her hands moving quickly to grip her bed sheets as she moved as far as she could, cursing when her back hit the headboard again and she knew she was stuck. Seeing her pale, panicked face Scam looked at her with sad eyes. "I'm sorry Samantha," he whispered. Sitting there, white as a ghost, Scam's words hit Sam like a tonne of bricks. _"What's going on here?"_ she thought, too confused to whip out her X-powder, call W.O.O.H.P and have him sent away.

"_What's…what's wrong with him?" _she thought while confusion tore at her mind because she had just, vividly heard him apologizing to her. Why would he be saying sorry? Tim Scam didn't do sorry. _"Why would he ever apologize to me?" _Sam thought knowing he never would. Why would he? When he never even thought he had a reason to. "Sam…please forgive me," he said again sounding dead serious and Sam gasped, before she pressed her back flat against the wooden backing of her bed and shook her head furiously. _"He's not here...this is a drea-nightmare," _she thought before she rolled off the bed and stood up to get away from him while taking quick breaths, trying to figure out how to wake up.

Noticing her blinking rampantly and shaking her head Scam quickly realized that she didn't even believe he was here in her room. Sighing, he stood up and started walking towards her only to have her gasp and move to run out of the room. "Sam wait!" he screamed but she only moved faster, almost getting away from him until he ran after her. Moving quickly he reached out and grabbed her wrist in a tight grip, stopping her in her tracks and pulling her back into her room. Sam couldn't help but gulp when she felt his hold on her arm and she felt her body shiver as she began to realize that maybe this wasn't a dream after all. Feeling her go rigid in his hold Tim sighed before using his hold to turn her around and make her face him. Sam kept her head down, staring at the carpet, not daring to look up only to have him take hold of her chin and lift her gaze to his. Sam only grew paler at the comforting look in his eyes. A look so foreign to him that it left her unsure and afraid of what was on his mind.

"I know Sam…" he said softly while stroking his thumb across her trembling jaw. Blinking in confusion Sam was about to ask him what on earth he was talking about only to freeze when he spoke again. "I know that you love me," he said bluntly and soon the room was silent as the girl before him simply stopped breathing.

Slowly, Sam's mouth began to work again and she gave the man before her a glare. "..What?" she tried spitting only having it come out in a whisper instead. She was too shocked to scream. Biting his cheek he continued knowing she needed to hear more to know what this was about. "I used to think you hated me," he said leaving Sam to narrow her eyes for a moment, before rage started showing on her face. "…I do," she said in a confused whisper. Sighing, Scam shook his head before he grabbed her wrist and drew her closer, close enough to see the faded tear marks on her skin still there from the time she had prayed for him, telling him she was lying. "Do you?" he whispered, against the smooth skin of her cheek. Sam stayed silent for a moment, confused and frightened before she snapped her wrist away from his hold and stepped away. "What kind of idiotic question is that?" she hissed. 'Of course I hate you Ti-Scam!" she growled while she backed away even more. Ignoring her hateful words Scam told himself he had to be patient with her, this couldn't be easy on her.

"You've done so much for me Sam…" he started, attempting to explain again. "So much that proves that you don't hate me." Sam's left eyebrow shot up and she bit her lip while nothing but confusion showed on her tired face. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said, looking away from him before tiredly rubbing the back of her neck and blinking. She didn't believe any of this was real. She refused to fall straight into a trap. Why was he even here? He had to be up to something again. Sighing at his prolonged silence Sam shook her head in annoyance. "Look Scam, I don't know why you're here…" she started before she realized that wasn't something she needed to care about." Shaking her head she continued. "And it doesn't matter. You're going back to jail right-"

"I saw three spirits tonight Sam," he said suddenly, interrupting her logical plan to phone W.O.O.H.P. Blinking in confusion Sam slowly looked him in the eyes. "…What?" she said, now certain that Tim Scam was not okay. Noticing her doubtful, puzzled expression Scam knew he was going to sound crazy but this was ironically the only way that he would start making any sense to her. "When I was planning to…" he sighed, knowing he didn't want to say it this way but he had to be totally honest. "When I was planning to kill you, Jerry, Clover and Alex last night in my cell…" he said, not surprised to see her face harden at his words, and he knew she had expected that from him. Taking a deep breath he continued. "That's when it all started." Her eyes narrowed in lack of understanding Sam shrugged. "That's when WHAT started?"

Scam sighed. "That's when they started coming… the spirits." Seeing her huff and look at him as if he was indeed mental he continued, not letting her speak. "Those spirits told me how much you care for me Sam. They told me that you think about me all the time," he said leaving her eyes to widen before she looked down, away from him. She couldn't believe the words that were coming out of his mouth. He couldn't know could he?_ "No…no that wouldn't make any sense!" _she thought before she shook her head furiously and took another step away from him and looked down. "No…no…You're crazy," she said accusingly, making him sigh because she wasn't getting it yet.

Taking a step closer to her Scam noted how she avoided his gaze and he knew she was afraid to believe this was happening. He had to make her believe it. He had to let her know he had changed. He had to let her know he wasn't here to hurt her or fight her, he was here for her. Just for her. "They heard your prayers Sam," he said making her head snap up suddenly. Seeing that she was finally looking at him again he gave her a small smile, one that shocked her to her core. "The spirits heard you praying tonight," he said and Sam's eyes widened even more as she took another small step backward, her legs shaky from shock. "Wha-what prayers?" she asked, nervousness in her tone. Sighing he decided he needed to be more direct. Looking her in her eyes Scam smiled again. "Your prayers for me to have a good life, for me to find true happiness and peace," he said leaving her mouth the fall open before she quickly closed it and looked away, again at the floor. Waiting for a moment Scam realized Sam wasn't going to admit it by herself. She was probably too embarrassed to.

Slowly coming closer to her he stopped when his feet were almost touching hers and reached out, lifting her chin with his index finger and making her look into his eyes before he gave her a soft smile. "Thank you Sam," he whispered while watching her stare at him unblinkingly, shock in her emerald gaze only growing as he went on. "No one has ever really…" he, stopped, wondering if he should say this before he realized that he no longer felt like a moron talking to her, wanting to say those things that he would never ever say before. His smile growing a little wider he stroked her cheek and whispered. 'No one has ever really cared for me before." Sam gulped, not moving at all but she couldn't help but hear how grateful he sounded at this moment. He had never sounded this way before. Her eyes, glued to his face silently noted how he was smiling happily, something he'd never done before. There was dare she say it, tenderness in his eyes and maybe something more flickering in his gaze while he looked straight at her. "Why Sam?" he asked, snapping her out of her observation of his behaviour. Giving her a look of pure awe he spoke again. "Why do you care about me so much? Why?"

Staring at him for a moment Sam blinked before she gave him a glare and looked away. "I- I never said I cared," she mumbled only to gasp when he grabbed her by her waist and pulled her against his body, his face close enough to touch hers leaving her to stare at him wordlessly with wide eyes. Slowly her shock began to die down and she began struggling to get away. "L-let me go Scam!" she screamed, twisting in his hold and giving him a heated glare. Sighing, he quickly grabbed her arms and held them behind her back, making her gasp louder as he held her tighter so she couldn't get away. Looking her in the eyes Scam whispered. "Look me in the eyes and tell me you DON'T care for me…because I know it's a lie." Biting her lip Sam averted his eyes and opened her mouth to tell him to shut up. "Stop, and I mean it Sca-"

"Tell me you didn't pray for me tonight like you have been for the last two years, each Christmas," he said suddenly and Sam's eyes slowly widened as she glanced back at his face shakily. Seeing that he had her attention Scam continued. "Tell me you haven't bought gifts for me, every Christmas ever since you met me." he said demandingly while her eyes only widened more and more, her eyelids no longer even able to blink. Tightening his grip on her tense form, Scam looked at her with searching eyes. "Tell me you never made sure that I didn't get seriously hurt during our fights," he whispered only making her heart hammer in her chest as she stared at him silently, her eyes shaking with his words.

Carefully holding her tighter in his embrace, Scam slowly placed his head in the crook of her neck and spoke against her cool skin. "Tell me that you've never donated blood just for me," he whispered making her let out a gasp as she began to tremble in his hold. _"How does he know?"_ Sam thought, shaking from the shock her mind was suffering. Was he seriously serious about what he was saying? How else did he know all this? Lifting his head from her neck he stared straight in her eyes that were slowly filling up with involuntary tears as she stared at him. "Tell me that you have never wished I would change Samantha," he said and soon tears were slowly rolling down her cheeks, telling him every word he was saying was true.

Biting her lip, Sam looked down and tried to hold her tears back. How could this be happening? _"He was never supposed to know this…any of this," _she thought while more tears rolled down her face. Now here he was looking at her with mock care in those eyes of his and building up her hopes that he actually gave a damn about her…feelings. Freezing at her own illogical thought Sam mentally berated herself. "_I don't feel a thing for him," _she reminded herself like she always did before she made up her mind. She didn't want to deal with this. She didn't need to deal with this.

Wiping away her tears Sam gave him a glare. "That's it, I'm calling W.O.O.H.P," she said before, getting her arms out of his hold and pushing him away from herself. Turning rapidly she started to head towards the beside table where her X-powder was, determined to end this nonsense right this second. Watching her angrily walking away Scam sighed. "Go ahead, but will it stop you from feeling guilty when you put me in jail Sam? Any more than it does every time that you do?" he suddenly said from behind her, making her freeze in her tracks and take a deep, shuddering breath. "_How does he know that?" _she thought again, refusing to believe a word he said about spirits. She had been waiting for a miracle for too long, three years to be exact. For it to just happen now? It would be too convenient.

_"But.."_ Sam thought to herself while she stood there frozen. _"I made sure to cover up my tracks…everything I did, there was no way for him to find out…I made sure of that…Then how does he know these things?" _she wondered before her breath hitched in her throat when she heard his soft footsteps coming closer. Knowing she had to keep him away, knowing she had to keep her defences up Sam took a deep breath before counting to ten in her head and making sure her face was empty of any emotion but anger. Turning around with narrowed eyes she gave him a glare.

"Why would I feel guilty after throwing one of the worst criminals on Earth in jail?" she spat. "Because…" he started while he came closer to her and stood just a foot away while looking deep into her eyes. "You love that criminal Samantha, and locking him up wouldn't only make you hate yourself," he said leaving her jaw to drop at him saying her own hidden feelings for him with his own lips. Finding her silent again he continued. "It would only make you cry like it always does," he said with a regretful sigh before he took hold of her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, making sure not to move too fast to scare her away. Gulping, Sam stared at his hand holding hers and she knew she should slap it away but she couldn't summon the will to even try.

Feeling wretched and like a failure to her own unreasonable heart, Sam bit her lip and looked up to find him looking at her with kind, honest eyes. "But if my going to jail will make you smile…" he said, slowly pulling her closer with her hand until her feet were touching his and she was looking more closely into his eyes. "Even if it's a fake smile Sam…I'll gladly turn myself in, right now," he said shocking her with his words and even more with the determination in his tone.

Staring at him in disbelief Sam couldn't figure out what had happened. Was he even Tim Scam? He looked the same but he didn't sound anything like the cruel, evil criminal that she had fought and trained herself to hate. The man she was meant to hate. Looking closer into his eyes Sam bit her lip when she noticed something else_. "He doesn't even look the same," _she realized, noting he wasn't sporting his signature "Scam" smirk while he stood before her patiently. He wasn't sneering or looking at her with mocking, sarcastic eyes like he always had. The look in his eyes was…if she didn't know Tim Scam better she would call it guilt maybe even love. Feeling him run his fingers through her hair and bring her even closer Sam held her free hand against his chest, holding him back and speaking to him.

"Since when do you care about making ME happy?" she asked, doubt everywhere in her tone. Smiling he only stroked his thumb over the knuckles of the hand he was still holding because Sam hadn't pulled it away, something he had secretly noted but hadn't commented on for fear that she would. "Ever since I learned how much you love me," he said making her gasp at his words. Struggling not to lose herself Sam shook her head slowly. "..I- I don't love you," she whispered quickly while trying to calm the rampant beating of her heart.

Watching Sam closely, looking at the way she had looked away when she had said that Scam knew she was lying. That was enough to make him keep trying. Not saying anything he slowly started walking forward, taking her with him and soon her back was pressed against a wall. Placing one hand above her head, Scam wrapped his other arm around her waist and looked down on her with a questioning, longing gaze that screamed out his feelings. That alone was enough to make Sam look down again. Noting her actions he reached down and pulled her head up, forcing her to look into his eyes even though she was hesitating to. "Don't you love me Sam?" he asked, making her shudder at the question that should never be being asked in the first place. Not hearing a response Scam slowly dipped his head down into her neck and held his mouth less than an inch away from her collarbone, touching but not touching. "Answer the question Sam," he whispered, his breath hitting her bare flesh, making her stomach do flip-flops even while she scolded it not to.

"N-no," she stuttered out while she struggled to keep her act up. Holding her waist, Scam felt her body burning at his touch and he knew this was just an act. A last stab of hers to try and keep him away, to not let him in no matter how badly he knew she wanted to. "You don't love me Sam?" he asked again while his hand grabbed her waist harder, giving it a squeeze before his fingers slowly climbed up her back, higher and higher until he pressed his hand flat against it and pushed her straight into his arms. When her chest touched his Sam bit her lip hard not to let out a moan. "I- I don't," she stuttered out while trying to work up the resolve to push him away.

Not ready to give up he moved his hands up into her hair and ran his fingers through it, letting them get lost in her long crimsons strands as they had in one of her very own dreams tonight. When she took a deep breath in he smiled knowing she remembered the action. "This happened in one of your dreams right?" he asked softly while his hands never left her hair. Chewing on her lower lip Sam tried to ignore how it felt to have his large, muscular fingers running through her hair. It was something she had always dreamt of, what it would feel like to be touched like this, so gently by him.

The feeling, sadly for her was better than any dream and it left her to curl her toes in as her eyes fluttered halfway shut. Hearing him let out a happy sigh, Sam fought to open her eyes and push him away. She wasn't proud of the way her body seemed to have developed a mind of its own, surrendering itself to her enemy in exchange for a simple touch. Shaking her head to clear her mind, to try and remember who she was Sam jerked her head signalling him to release her hair. Sighing in frustration because he had thought they had been making progress he reluctantly drew his hands away and simply watched with burning eyes.

Forcing herself to be grateful that he had stopped touching her and her mind had the chance to function normally, Sam took deep breaths to stop her heart from pounding in her eardrums. Once she had a hold on her heart Sam carefully looked up only to gulp at the aching look in his sea-foam eyes. As if he was just waiting for one small signal from her to let himself go. To lose control. Seeing that she was staring at him fixedly Tim took a deep breath to resist the urge to simply take what he wanted. But the way she was looking at him just made him want to ignore the tension in between them and touch her to his heart's content. Something told him that if he got that chance, she would never doubt his feelings again. Running a frustrated hand through his hair he never removed his eyes from her face as he asked her the same question he wanted to hear a truthful answer to again. "You don't love me?" he whispered and Sam was shocked at how heartbroken he sounded, as if her constant repetition of the word no really wounded his heart.

Not having heard a response to his question this time Scam found his hope growing as he wished that she was maybe thinking of changing her previous reply. Maybe she was going to say yes, admit how she felt. Give him the chance to show her he cared. Something he desperately needed her to do before it drove him insane. Smiling spitefully at himself he realized how dependant he had become on this girl already. He had never needed anyone to do anything for him before. Scam had never needed anyone to accept him, to show that they loved him but that was just what he needed from her. "_I just hope I'm not too late_," he thought, taking in her downcast eyes and reluctant face while his heart sank at the sight of her frown. _"Maybe I am too late." _

Taking a deep breath, trying to remain positive, Scam rested his hands on her waist and held her closely while he rested his chin on her head. "You're sure you don't love me Samantha?" he asked, now sounding tired and depressed after having asked the question so many times before. Not really moving to pull away Sam closed her eyes, unconsciously pressing her head into his chest, inhaling his scent and letting her frown vanish for an instant before she woke up and mumbled out the response she had to. "No." Scam's lips formed a frown as he heard her still denying him after he had practically begged her. Despite the fact that she wasn't struggling to get away, despite the fact that her body was clearly reacting to his touch Scam knew it wasn't enough. _"This has to be her choice, she has to be willing to accept it completely," _he thought knowing she hadn't even once admitted to really loving him. And that hurt even though he knew better than to expect her to just accept him.

Knowing that her comfort came before his wants and desires Scam slowly began to release her body. Holding her stiffly by her shoulders and watching her sadly, Scam knew she was angry. Angry enough not to give him a chance and he found that he couldn't even blame her. She had waited so long for him to come around. Three years was a long time to wait and maybe by now she had hardened her heart so much towards him that despite having feelings she was too afraid to make anything more of them than this. Maybe she was too tired to even try to turn her dreams into reality, to even invest that chance in him at the cost of having her heart broken again. And even though he didn't want to understand, he would a liar if he said he didn't. He understood exactly why Sam was being like this. And it was okay, after all he deserved to pay for breaking her heart.

Watching him in silence, taking in his quiet face for several moments Sam was surprised when he suddenly let his hold on her shoulders go and sighed. "Fine," he said firmly, shocking her as he just gave up and let her go altogether. The moment he stepped away from her Sam rubbed her arms, feeling cold and confused as she stared at his back, not sure what he was up to now.

"I'm going to call W.O.O.H.P," he said suddenly making her eyes widen at the fact that he was really going to turn himself in. The Tim Scam she knew would never turn himself in. Standing there her mind flickered back to what he had said about going to jail for the chance to make her smile and she found her heart sinking as she felt her defences crumbling. Fighting with herself, not knowing what to do Sam's eyes widened when she noticed Scam starting to advance towards her bedside table, having seen earlier that that was where she had the X-powder hidden. She went pale as she saw him rummaging through the papers the X-powder was hidden between. "What-what are you doing?" she screamed before quickly marching over to him, knowing she needed to get him away from that table before he saw what else was also hidden there.

Sighing tiredly Scam shrugged. "I'm getting your X-powder to call W.O.O.H.P," he said only to have her come closer to him rapidly. "Get away from there!" she demanded angrily before grabbing his arm and trying to pull him away. Ignoring the redhead who was now pulling his arm for reasons he couldn't understand Scam spotted the device and grabbed it right before she managed to pull him away but the force of her pull left the papers to fly around and soon they were falling on the floor all together.

Letting go of his arm immediately Sam scrambled to pick up the papers, throwing them in a quick pile while her eyes looked around in panic and Scam couldn't figure out what she was looking for. Deciding not to ask because she was too busy picking up papers instead of paying attention to him Scam sighed, feeling rejected as he moved to call W.O.O.H.P on the X-powder only to freeze when he saw the paper that had landed at his feet. His eyes widening he blinked, wondering if he was hallucinating but he would know that image anywhere.

It was an enlarged version of his photograph from the W.O.O.H.P criminal records. Biting her lip Sam sorted through the pile in her hands, sifting through the papers while she desperately tried to find what he could never see only to gasp when she saw him bending down to pick up a paper. And by the look on his face she didn't need to think twice to know what it was that he had seen. "No…" Sam whispered, sounding defeated as she saw him standing there silently with his eyes narrowed at what she was sure was his own photograph.

Shocked, Scam slowly turned the picture around, holding it up in a questioning way as he glanced at the redhead who was now fidgeting with her fingers and looking at the floor. Still holding the photo Scam walked right to her and stopped when his feet inches from hers. Sam gulped dryly while her heart hammered in her chest and she saw how close he was to her while holding the incriminating piece of evidence that proved him right and proved her a liar all at once_. "Why..why did I have to steal his photograph?" _Sam asked herself in thought, cursing herself for having no self control. Cursing at herself for that day she had taken it because she wanted to have an image of him for herself, because she had desperately wanted to have something of his to herself even if it had been just a photograph. Over the years it had made her smile at random moments of the day when it had served as a bookmark in her favourite novel. When it had served as a souvenir of her feelings for a man she had long hoped to forget but never had been able to.

Watching Sam silently, Scam realized she wasn't about to look up and meet his gaze. "So.." he started slowly while holding the photo out to her. "You're still going to stand there and say that you don't love me?" he asked, his tone sounding almost victorious to her ears because he had her trapped. Sam bit her lip and tried to keep from crying. Summoning her courage she looked up, her mouth moving to try and form some word, some logical explanation for why she had his photograph only to have tears roll down her cheeks as nothing came to mind. Seeing him glance at her with sympathy on his face, as if he felt bad for her position she felt more tears run down her face. Hot, angry tears of embarrassment and shame. He might as well laugh in her face if he was going to look at her like that.

Sam took a shaky breath, ignoring his eyes as humiliation clouded her mind. Never had she thought that she would have to deal with this moment in a million years. She had expected to die long before having to confront him about the feelings she harboured deep inside. _"But no, he won't even let me have that simple comfort," _Sam thought as frustration ran through her veins and made her blood boil. Feeling him coming closer to her and saying her name softly Sam raised her head and gave him an acidic glare.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" She screamed suddenly making him stop in his tracks and stare at her in shock. With her anger fuelling her Sam pointed a finger at him and glared harder. "Do you think you can just play with me to your heart's content? Do whatever you want and whenever you feel like it?" she asked angrily making him keep his mouth shut as he heard all her rage. Crossing her arms over her chest Sam whispered harshly. "Three years ago you broke my heart Tim Scam…YOU did," she said firmly while his eyes looked down at her truthful accusation. "And now you think you can stand there and ask me WHY I have your photograph? Is that fair? Or do you just not care? "she spat while watching him standing there silently, his hand slightly crumpling up his photograph.

Shaking her head in fury Sam watched him with narrowed eyes. "Why can't you just leave me alone?" she whispered sadly before she found herself screaming, wanting to get an answer for why he hadn't left her alone for the last three years. Why he had been in her thoughts, dreams and prayers endlessly. "Why can't you just leave me alone?" she cried, as her hands clutched her head and she felt tears falling from her eyes not stopping anytime soon. Hearing Sam taking shaky breaths to try and control her tears Scam sighed before mustering up his courage and making his way over to her. Reaching out he tried to wipe her tears only to have her slap his hand way and cry harder before she sniffed and looked away crossly.

Watching her with sad, unblinking eyes Scam found his guilt to be too much to bear and he knew he had done too much damage to her to even make her want to let him make her feel better. His mouth sealed in uncertainty because he didn't have any words to explain his regret, Scam simply watched her knowing he wanted to tell her that he had really changed, that he would never commit another crime again. That he would never hurt her again for as long as he lived. He knew words would not be enough to convince her but he wanted to try. He wanted to do whatever he had to, to make her feel better, to take some of her pain away.

Deciding to try to comfort her again Scam moved slowly and wrapped his arms around her waist before leaning his forehead onto hers while he simply held her close and said nothing. Slowly relaxing in his hold, Sam bit her lip, blinking sadly before she slowly glanced back up into his eyes. Feeling her gaze on him Scam kept her close while he whispered what he needed her to hear. "I don't expect you to accept any this, any of this, or me Sam…" he said softly while he pressed his forehead against her more firmly, making her close her eyes at the gentle contact. "I know I haven't done a thing to deserve you," he said leaving a tear to roll down her cheek at his heartfelt words.

Giving her one more gentle squeeze, Scam brushed away her tear, happy that she didn't stop him from doing that before he took a deep breath and slowly let his arms drop to his sides, stepping away and finally letting Sam go. "I don't deserve you," he whispered one more time before he turned around and began to move away from her, intent on going straight to Jerry and turning himself in. It was the least he could do now. Keeping his head down he fought the disappointment he felt because he knew some part of him had hoped she would still have room for him in that huge heart of hers but now he knew he had been wrong to hope for that. It was too much to ask from her.

Watching him walking away quietly Sam bit her lip feeling her heart clench in her chest as he went to turn her doorknob and step outside of her room, outside of her reach. He was leaving heartbroken because she was breaking his heart for having broken hers before. _"No.." _Sam thought sadly as she heard the door open. She knew what heartbreak felt like after having suffered through it for three years. Did she really want him to go through that? Who knew how he would handle it? If he could handle it? Upon impulse, Sam found herself racing over to him and grabbing his wrist, stopping him from taking the final step out of her room. Freezing on the spot, Scam pulled his head up when he felt how tightly Sam was gripping his wrist before she faltered and let it go with a sigh. And he smiled knowing she didn't really want him to leave, even if she was afraid to tell him not to go. It was enough to stop him and make him turn around because he knew she was hesitating to fully stop him only because she was scared of believing in him. He couldn't blame her for that.

Coming closer to her he held her by her waist again and rested his forehead back on hers, where it just seemed to fit into place. Sam bit her lip, her eyes closed as she felt the tense, awkward silence in between them and she wasn't sure what was going to happen next. Opening her eyes for a quick second Sam looked up, glancing at his face before she looked down again only to look up and sigh before she stared at the floor again while he watched her with longing, loving eyes. Taking a quiet breath he tried to speak again. "Sam…" he whispered trying to explain again, trying to find the right words so that this time she would hear him. He gave up a moment later and sighed knowing he was lost. He could only wish he knew what to do because he hadn't felt more unprepared in all his life.

Looking down at the top of Sam's head it took him a moment to feel the intensity of a bright light before he glanced up with widened eyes at what had popped up above him. There, dangling above his and Sam's heads was a string of mistletoe that was hovering in the air and he didn't need to think too hard to know where it had come from. Narrowing her eyes when she realized Scam hadn't spoken in a while and had suddenly gone silent Sam bit her lip, looking up to see why when she froze in shock at the object that he was looking at, hanging above them.

"_Mistletoe," _Sam thought in wonder while she tried to figure out where it had come from as it simply floated in the air. Glancing at Scam's face Sam noticed how he didn't look surprised to see the mistletoe. In fact he didn't seem shocked at all, as if things popping up randomly was perfectly normal for him. Still staring at the plant awkwardly Sam wondered why he wasn't surprised, only to have her eyes widen when she realized that there was only one valid explanation. The spirits he had been talking about, they must have really been real. After another second of silence Scam looked down, straight into her eyes and realized she had seen the mistletoe by the look on her face. Saying nothing he quietly leaned down and carefully brushed his lips against hers just slightly, touching but not kissing as he silently asked her if it was okay for him to do this.

Taking a deep breath in Sam blinked before she gave him a small, subtle nod leaving him to finally press his lips against hers in a slow, soft kiss.

Keeping his lips against hers Scam made sure to keep the kiss gentle and slowly Sam's eyes fluttered shut as she took in the feeling of his lips pressed against hers. Their first kiss. She had never thought he could be this gentle this considerate of her comfort. She could tell he was holding himself back. The way his fingers were clutching her waist, pressing hard before lightening their hold, the way he let out a quiet, muffled sigh against her lips told her he was leashing himself back not to hurt her, not to do something she didn't want. Soon her lips formed a small, smile against his as she stood there taking it all in. His care, his consideration…his love and she found herself wanting to kiss him back. The kiss ended a brief second later as he reluctantly separated his mouth from hers and looked down onto her face, at the blush she was trying to hide and at her slightly glazed over eyes.

Giving her a small, gentle smile he raised one hand and carefully ran his fingers through her hair, tucking a lock of it behind her ear as she bit her lip and stared back at him with her lower lip still between her teeth, showing him how nervous she really was. But her glare was gone and only longing remained in her eyes. Sighing tiredly a second later Sam looked at him looking overwhelmed and shattered.

"What do you want from me Tim?" she asked unsure and desperately wanting some direction. Saying nothing he slowly walked forward making her walk back and soon he had her cornered so that she was only looking at him and nothing else. Pushing her against the doorframe he peered deep into her shaky eyes before speaking. "I thought it was pretty obvious by now," he whispered making Sam bite her lip harder because she knew exactly what he was meaning to say. But she wasn't sure if he meant it, she wasn't sure of anything as she stood there in the darkness in the circle of his embrace. In the arms of the only man she had ever loved feeling vulnerable as she had never felt before. Knowing he wanted a response from her Sam slowly moved her hands up, slightly clutching his shirt before she let it go with a sigh. She knew she wanted to touch him, she knew that her defences were shattered and she knew he was only holding back because she was.

"_But I'm not sure what he wants or if he even wants this," _she thought with another sigh as her hands clutched and released him again. Looking at her face Scam noted how agitated she looked, how torn her face was as she stared back at him and he knew she was unsure about him. Yet she was on the verge of her breaking point holding on with just a tiny thread that was slowly growing weaker and weaker as she stared at him with the pining only growing in her beautiful eyes. He had to let her break free, he had to tell her that there was hope for them and that she could openly believe in him like she always secretly had.

"Sam…" he started slowly making her quiver at the way he said her name. "I saw two futures for us…" he said seriously while stroking her hair. "And one of them is bound to happen." Keeping her eyes glued to his face Sam nodded slowly knowing he must be talking about the spirits again. "Wha-what futures did you see?" she asked softly while her nervousness only grew. Tim smiled softly at the one future he had seen and loved. The only future that he wanted now.

"Well in one future we had a ...son and a daughter," he said softly making her blush at the thought. Sam's eyes widened at his words and she found herself itching to smile. "...Really?" she asked timidly when she found her voice. He nodded slowly. "Yes, a little boy named Ethan and a girl named Phoebe." Sam's eyes widened in surprise, as her body went stiff and she looked right at him with her shock showing on her features. He couldn't help but frown at her gong rigid in his hold. "Is something wrong Sam?" he asked, concerned with her sudden shocked state.

Sam shook her head slowly, not believing what he was telling her. But now she was certain he hadn't seen any illusion or dream. It couldn't be. "No..." she started slowly while fidgeting with her fingers, looking down and blushing harder. "It's just that, I've always thought that if I ever had a daughter..." Taking a deep breath she looked straight into his eyes. "That I would name her Phoebe." Scam's eyebrows rose and his mouth parted a little in surprise as he went speechless at her confession.

Seeing that he had gone quiet and knowing she was still curious about the other future he hadn't told her about Sam let out a small sigh. "What was the other future you saw?" she asked while watching his happiness fade away and soon he looked downright panicked as he stood before her. Scam took a shaky breath knowing he didn't want to think about the other horrific future he had seen. The one where she, the only light in his life was meant to die at his own hands. He was never going to let that happen. "Tim?" Sam said softly, pulling his attention out of his thoughts and back on her curious, waiting face.

Letting out a sigh he held her tighter before he answered her. "It was a future that I would have loved before when I didn't care for anyone…" he admitted truthfully before he looked her in her eyes. "But not any more." Nodding slowly Sam played with her fingers in nervousness being smart enough to know this second future he hadn't described had to do with his criminal life. Something she knew he had been very fond of just yesterday. Something he could still very well chose over her. Taking a deep breath Sam bit her lip. "Well... what future do you want Tim?" she asked making him smile softly as he wrapped his arms around tighter, harder, holding her as close as he could before he whispered his answer in her waiting ears. "..I want any future that has you in it Samantha."

A small, shuddering gasp left her lips at his response. He wanted her. He didn't want his revenge nor his criminal life that he been living for so long_. "He loves me…he really loves me," _she thought before she felt tears of joy running down her cheeks and she quickly reached up and grabbed his head, pulling him to her and kissing him passionately. Smiling against her lips, Scam closed his eyes before kissing her back fervently while his hands pulled her tighter against him, closer and closer until there was no space left in between. A quiet moan left Sam's mouth as if she was asking him to deepen their kiss and he responded by opening his mouth to hers.

Soon their tongues were twisting together as their lips remained locked in a deep, passionate kiss. Sam's head swirled as her body burned at the sensation and she slowly moved her fingers through his hair taking in the softness she found there while her heart leapt with joy. His fingers now lost in her hair tightened around her the base of her back as he pressed her to him, trying to keep this feeling from ever ending. Several moments later they both pulled away breathless and breathing deeply while they stared at each other with love, need and understanding in their eyes.

Blushing severely Sam stepped away from him and tried to control her racing heartbeat that she could feel drumming in her ears. Looking for a distraction, Sam slowly began to light the candles that were all around her room from her prayers tonight. She could hardly believe they had been answered and that he was really here with her right now. Hearing his footsteps coming to where she stood lighting candles, Sam bit her lip when she felt his chest touch her back and soon her knees were wobbling and her heart was beating triple fast all over again. And she knew right then that nothing could distract her from him tonight.

Blushing softly Sam turned around and smiled before reaching her arms up and wrapping them around his neck while she pulled him closer to her with only one thought on her mind. Slowly she began walking towards her bed, leading him along and he followed her with a smile on his face, his arms moving to hold her by her waist. "This seems like a dream…"she whispered, her eyes half-closed as she gazed at him in the moonlit, candlelit darkness of her room. "It isn't," he whispered honestly, a slight smile tugging at one corner of his lip as he held her tighter while they drew closer and closer to her bed.

Taking a short, soft, breath she wrapped her arms around his neck tighter while her eyes closed even more. "Prove it to me then," she breathed out, still watching his face. Watching her carefully, trying to read what was on her mind Scam knew he was willing to do anything to prove his feelings to her. To prove that he was really here. "How?" he asked a moment later, his voice determined and strong. Smiling, Sam stopped moving when her legs brushed against the edge of her bed. Tightening her hold on his body even more, she leaned up on her toes until she was peering right into his beautiful eyes, smiling at the love that was clearly showing there. She had waited so long for this moment. Leaning in until her nose was touching his, Sam bit her lip, blushing softly before she whispered the words on her mind with her lips touching his. "Touch me."

A small smile touched his lips as he heard her words and his hands moved up, holding her shoulders and leaning her back to glance into her eyes. Sam glanced back at him with love, forgiveness and need in gaze letting him know exactly what she wanted from him. Giving her a little nod, Scam gave her a look that rivalled the desire swirling in her eyes before he leaned down and picked her up bridal style, slowly carrying her to her bed. Blushing, Sam wrapped her arms around his neck and stared up at him in the soft candlelight taking in how the fire only seemed to flicker in his gaze as he looked at her.

Putting her down on her bed Scam slowly leaned his body over hers and smiled while staring at her in the darkness. Her porcelain skin seemed to glow under the soft firelight as it highlighted her form while she lay there with the prettiest of blushes on her face, staring up at him with her lips slowly whispering his name. "Tim.." Sam whispered while reaching up and gripping his shoulders, bringing him closer to her while he never removed his eyes from her face. When she brought him close enough so that his nose was touching hers, Scam smiled while slowly cupping her face in his hands.

"Do you have any idea how much of a difference you've made in my life?" he asked while stroking her cheek and making her smile harder while she stared fixedly at him with love-filled eyes. "I love you.." Sam whispered while biting her lip and running her fingers through his hair. "I always have." Smiling harder at her words Scam bent his head down to hers, his mouth almost touching hers when he stopped and hesitated. If he started touching her he wasn't sure he'd be able to stop and he wasn't entirely sure if Sam was ready for this. Sensing his hesitation as he lay over her with his mouth millimetres away from hers Sam smiled, knowing he was still worried about her comfort and permission. How much more evidence did she need to know he had changed?

"Tim?" She whispered making him pull back and look into her eyes. "Yes?" Smiling, Sam brought her hands up and held his face in her hands, letting her gaze travel across it while studying how handsome he was. Smiling harder she decided to put his mind at ease. "You have my heart and I trust you with it," she said while biting her lip and blushing harder, hoping he would catch her drift. Thankfully for her he did and seconds later his mouth was on hers as he engaged her lips in a deep, passionate kiss. Moaning against his mouth Sam sealed her eyes shut and pressed her lips against his firmly as she kissed him back, letting every thought but him disappear from her mind and surrendered to him. Feeling her body melting, relaxing under his Scam smiled against her lips before opening his mouth and running his tongue against her lower lip, taking in the sweet taste of her soft, pink lips leaving her to gasp and part her lips. Soon his tongue was stroking hers gently while his grip only tightened on her body.

Blushing hard Sam took a deep breath in, breathing in through her nose as she slowly moved her tongue halfway into his mouth and ran it along the insides of his mouth. While their tongues explored each others mouths Scam reached down, slowly gripping the edge of her pyjama top and lifting it up. Gasping against his lips Sam felt her heart hammer as his fingers pushed up her top and were soon touching the delicate skin of her stomach. Trailing his hands against her abdomen, Scam let his fingers move against her soft flesh, ticking her skin as he felt her temperature rising.

Breaking the kiss and letting her breathe for just a second he stared into her darkened eyes before crashing his lips back on hers, leaving her to moan and dig her hands into his hair. His hands slowly moved higher and higher under her shirt until his thumb brushed the edge of her bra leaving her to gasp again and tighten and twist her fingers in his hair. Keeping his mouth pressed against hers he slowly trailed his fingers over her chest, roaming over her clothed breasts before taking hold of the edge of her bra and lifting it up. Gasping harder Sam's body twisted under his as his hands caressed her breasts that were no longer constrained by her bra before he finally reached around her back and undid the clasp letting it fall open all together.

Separating his mouth from hers Scam sat up, staring down at her exposed chest before his hands pulled her shirt back down, covering her for just a moment as he began to pull open the buttons of her ruffled, messy shirt. When he had gotten it unbuttoned all the way he pulled the front apart and looked down at the blushing, panting girl that was under him. "You're so beautiful Sam," he whispered making her shiver at the sound of his voice before she sat up and reached her arms out as if telling him to come closer. Smiling he pressed himself against her body, pressing her against the headboard and buried his head in the crook of her neck. Slowly he placed hot, open-mouthed kisses against the side making his way down to her shoulder.

When the fabric of her shirt got in the way he brought his hands up and gripped the cloth before dragging it down her shoulders, her arms, off her chest and soon the silk, green garment was lying somewhere on the bed, buried in between the blankets. Returning his mouth to her neck Scam kissed his way up her skin until he reached her ear and pressed a kiss against it, making her smile as he nuzzled her skin. Sam let out a happy sigh while her palms flattened against his chest and her fingers shakily traced over the muscular planes of his well-built chest, easy to feel even while being hidden behind clothing.

Still kissing her neck, Scam's lips moved down placing butterfly kisses against her skin until he reached her shoulder. Noticing the black strap of her bra still covering part of her shoulder he groaned before pulling back and reaching up, slowly dragging the straps of her open bra down her bare arms one by one until her chest became fully bare to his waiting eyes. Sam bit her lip blushing deeply as he slowly took her bra off and dumped it somewhere on her bed. Feeling cold and shy when she noticed how his eyes were absorbing her form, Sam moved her arms up about to cover her chest when he stopped her by grabbing her wrists. Sam blushed harder, her heart beating a hundred times faster before she looked up at him and saw him shaking his head.

Biting her lip Sam nodded before letting him hold her wrists far apart and letting him study her in the dim candlelight. Scam smiled taking in the shape and size of her breasts, the curves of her small waist before they vanished beneath the casing of her pants, noting how the soft lighting highlighted her gentle curves and showed off her pure, untouched skin. Slowly lowering her arms once he had had his fill of her beauty he leaned into her and pressed his mouth against the centre of her throat. His mouth moved up and down kissing and nipping the flesh while he wrapped an arm around her bare waist and pulled her to lean against his chest. Sam bit her lip and moaned while her hands pressed themselves against his back, her fingernails beginning to scratch the surface of his skin from over his shirt. She gasped, digging her nails into his shoulders when his teeth slightly bit into her neck, marking her as his as he softly sucked the area. "Tim.." Sam moaned, making him smile at the way she was saying his name in a hushed, breathless whisper.

Pressing his mouth against her collarbone Tim wrapped his arms harder against her waist before he began placing kisses down her chest making her gasp harder and harder as her mouth moved lower and soon it was travelling against her chest, kissing the delicate valley between her breasts. Sam's eyes sewed themselves shut in bliss as she felt his hands moving up her back, rubbing her skin and making fists of her long hair while his head remained buried in her chest, breathing against her breasts and making her shiver. After he was done kissing every inch of her chest he moved his head back up and pressed his mouth against hers for a moment, giving her another kiss.

Kissing him back Sam wrapped her arms around his neck and trailed her fingers up the back of his neck, pushing her hand against the back of his head to keep his mouth connected with hers. Slowly her hands moved down his back clutching his shirt and pulling at the fabric as a silent complaint to it still being on his body. They had to break the kiss then from lack of air. Pulling away from her Scam sat back on the bed, raising a hand and running his fingers through her hair, rubbing the side of her head. Sam gave him a smile before sitting up straighter on the bed and biting her lip in nervousness before she moved her hand to his chest and clutched the front of his shirt.

Giving him a longing glance while innocently playing with the first button of his shirt, Sam blushed before leaning forward and pressing her lips against his, while moving her hand down his chest and unbuttoning his shirt. Pulling her mouth away a moment later, Sam's face grew hot as she let her eyes rest on the hint of his bare, muscular chest that was visible once she had unbuttoned the front of his shirt. Chuckling at her red face Tim smiled before leaning back into her and pushing her body against the back of her bed once again. Using his arms he pinned her there before he moved his mouth to her neck and softly nibbled on her skin with his teeth. Sam moaned moving under him and letting her hands move up to grab his shoulders, her fingers pulled at the material of his black shirt before she pushed apart the front with her palm.

Smiling she placed her hand on his chest. Her index finger moved around slowly tracing the planes of his muscular chest, outlining every rise and fall of muscle, little by little as she took her time memorizing every line that made up his upper body before she placed her palm right against his heart, feeling it beat and bit her lip at the soft contact while enjoying the warmth of his body. Sam let out a gasp, taking a sharp intake of breath when his mouth pressed into her chest, over her heart placing a gentle kiss there. "Tim.." she moaned out his name, before taking her hand off his chest and placing her hand over his where it was resting next to her on the bed.

Clutching his hand she pulled it up, intertwining the fingers of her left hand with his right one and tightly locking her fingers with his. Getting off her body a little Scam smiled at the sight of their joined hands and Sam blushed when he gave her palm a little squeeze.

Staring at each other in the darkness they drew closer again as he slowly pulled her body down on the bed, making her lay down. His hand, still intertwined with her placed itself above her head, against her pillow pressing down hard against her palm. They stayed that way for a few moments, saying nothing, doing nothing but studying each other in the candlelight while clutching their hands together and smiling, being completely at ease with each other. The look of happiness that was mirrored in both their eyes told the other that none of them had ever felt this relaxed, this happy in all their lives. Still smiling at him lovingly Sam used her free hand to tug at the shirt that was still on him making him release her hand for a moment and take it off, dropping it off the side of the bed before he pressed his bare chest against hers leaving her to moan deeply. Dipping his head down Scam kissed her lips softly while Sam slowly traced her hands up and down his bare back enjoying how nice and warm his skin felt against her hands.

Taking in a nervous breath but knowing she wanted this more than anything else in the word, and knowing she was ready Sam slowly let her palm move down his back in a line, lower and lower until her fingertips were slightly tugging at the band of his jeans. Freezing over her body Scam smiled knowing what his Sam wanted and knowing he was completely willing to give it to her. Pulling back he smiled at her blushing face before he quickly undid his belt and let it join his shirt on the floor. Quickly removing his jeans he enjoyed her furious blushing as he dropped them off the side of the bed before he placed his hands on her hips and slightly pulled at the band of her pyjama pants as a quiet question and she knew he was asking her if she really wanted this.

Taking deep breaths to control her heartbeat Sam moved her hands down to where his where clutching the top of her pants. Placing her hands over his she smiled before moving her hands down, taking his with hers as her pyjamas slowly slipped off her thighs and knees. Releasing his hands she blushed giving him a little nod and telling him to continue. Gladly taking over he quickly dragged the silk off her legs, tossing the cloth on the floor and letting his gaze crawl up her long, creamy legs before he traced his way up with his palm. Her heart racing wildly Sam bit her lip hard, before closing her eyes and moaning out his name as loud as she could muster when he began placing open-mouthed kisses on her legs. Smiling and moving his head in between her legs he pressed a soft, gentle kiss on her right thigh making her hiss in a breath and arch her body up from the bed. "T-Tim," she gasped breathlessly letting him know she was close to her breaking point and making him quickly place kisses against her stomach on his way back up her body.

When he finally reached her lips again he gave her a gentle kiss while feeling her lips tremble against his. Pulling his mouth away he slowly touched her flushed face and waited for her to open her eyes and look at him before he finished what they had started. "Sam?" he said while watching her take deep breaths and keep her eyes closed. After a moment she opened her eyes and looked at him staring back at her patiently as if giving her a last chance to push him away and change her mind.

Staring at him with half-closed eyes filled with love and desire Sam found her lips breaking out into a smile because she knew she had been dreaming of this moment forever. And it was finally here. Looking deep into his beautiful, comforting eyes Sam reached up and held his face, bringing him closer until his nose was brushing hers. "I'll remember this moment…" she whispered before leading his hands down to her waist, to her last article clothing and helping him remove it, letting him know she had made up her mind. Staring deep into her eyes and seeing nothing but her, Scam slowly brought his body closer to her waiting one. "I'm yours Sam…" he whispered, stroking her forehead and watching her smile before positioning himself over her. "Now and forever…"

* * *

It was loud ringing of her alarm clock that woke her the next morning. Moaning in complaint Sam tried keeping her eyes closed and shutting out the annoying sound just to sleep some more when a low grunt from next to her made her eyes open in a flash. She wasn't alone.

Looking next to her Sam blushed when she saw Tim Scam laying there, on her bed with her blankets rolled down to his waist, one arm folded over his bare abdomen, his hair scruffy and ruffled as his head rested against half her pillow. The memories from last night came rushing back and she couldn't help but smile as she watched him sleeping. Hearing him groan Sam realized the alarm was bothering his sleep and she giggled softly before moving to turn the alarm off. When she leaned over his body to her bedside table Sam hissed at the pain she felt and her blush grew deeper before she finally switched the alarm off. Slowly laying back down she kept her eyes glued to his calm face and smiled at the sight of him at peace. To her this still felt like a dream and if it wasn't for the after effects of last night that she could still feel, she knew she would never believe this was real.

Smiling happily Sam closed her eyes thinking of getting some more sleep since she had gotten very little only to open her eyes when she felt the man next to her shift on the mattress and she opened her eyes to find him smiling at her. Feeling his hypnotic eyes staring into hers Sam blushed deeply before she found herself crawling a little closer to him, until her face was right next to his and their noses were touching. "Merry Christmas," she whispered sweetly while giving him a little smile. Returning her smile with one of his own Scam slowly pressed his lips against her in a deep, passionate kiss that left her breathless. Breaking the kiss Scam ran his fingers through her hair, slightly untangling her sleep-tangled hair as he pulled her closer until her bare body was resting on his. Sam blushed harder before she relaxed on top of him and wrapped an arm his waist while snuggling against his warm frame.

Smiling, Tim pulled the blankets up to keep her warm as he held her tight against his body. "Did you sleep well?" he asked and Sam smiled while pressing her lips against his chest. "Mm hmm.." she mumbled while she listened to his heart beat against her ear and smiled harder. "I haven't slept this well for a long long time." Scam let out little sigh at her words knowing he was responsible for her sleepless nights. Clutching her closer he ran his fingers through her hair again. "I'm sorry Sam... I'll never hurt you again," he whispered and soon another happy, joyful smile was on her lips. Lifting her head up she glanced at his apologetic face. "I can see it in your eyes Tim, I know you won't hurt me ever again," she whispered making him smile as she snuggled back into his chest. Drawing on his skin with her index finger Sam sighed contently while her eyes watched the snow falling outside her bedroom window calmly. "So..." Sam started slowly while rubbing her palm against his chest. "Want to tell me exactly how it happened?" she whispered before glancing back into his eyes. "You told me you saw spirits but what was it like?"

Giving her a small smile he thought of the best way to explain things to her. "You know the story of the Christmas carol, right?" Sam gave him a nod. Tim shrugged. "Well it happened to me in real life," he said leaving her eyes to widen. "What?" Sam asked in disbelief. Scam nodded slowly. "The spirits that visited me were the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future," he said while watching her eyes widen in wonder. "And I was..." he paused knowing he didn't want to say this before he gave her an embarrassed look. "Scrooge," he finished leaving Sam to burst out giggling. "Seriously?" she asked while trying to control her laughter at what he had just said. Watching her with a sigh he nodded. "I thought that was just a story," she said softly when she had finally gotten her laughs to stop altogether. Scam sighed again while giving her a pointed look. "Yes, I know it sounds silly but it happened," he said looking slightly vexed.

Smiling at his almost frown Sam bit her lip before tapping him on his nose and making him blink. "I believe you," she said with a smile. Raising an eyebrow in doubt Scam looked at the redhead who was curled around him and smiling happily. "You do?" he asked, doubt clear in his tired voice. "I believe and am grateful to anything that led you to me," she said with a blush on her face. Watching her with awe-filled eyes Scam sighed. "You have nothing to be grateful for," he muttered remembering how badly he had hurt her in the past. "I hurt you." Sam nodded. "You did," she said making him frown harder. "I'm sorry," he started but she shook her head. "I said you did Tim, it's in the past now," she said, a smile still lugging her lips. "We can forget everything…I can forget everything for you," she whispered before letting out a happy sigh and wrapping him up in her arms again.

"How could you have fallen in love with me over one night?" she asked curiously but he only sighed. "How could you stay in love with me after everything I did? he said, returning her question with one of his own and making her frown. Looking up she gave him a little glare telling him to shut up. Scam raised an eyebrow before looking at her with scrutiny. "Come on Sam, I was selfish and cruel and-" Rolling her eyes she placed her hand over his mouth and gave him another glare. "Stop insulting the man I love!" she whined making him smile at her adorableness before he moved her hand and gave her a serious glance. "But I tried to kill you.." he started, trying to bring up their past again but she only shook her head telling him to stop. "Shhh I don't want to hear it," she said, giving him a pout. "Stop ruining my perfect Christmas morning Tim," she mumbled before closing her eyes and leaning on him again before she sighed. "Which reminds me...I still have errands to run."

Scam who had been enjoying holding her in his arms sighed. "You do?" he asked sounding frustrated making her giggle before she gave him a stern glance. "Well I hadn't expected…* she blushed at the memories while pulling her blankets tighter around herself. "This to have happened yesterday so I left a lot of things to do for today like I always do," she said logically before shrugging. "On Christmas I'm usually alone," she said making him frown as he held her close remembering how again, he was responsible for her loneliness. "You're never going to be alone ever again Sam, I promise," he said making her smile as she looked at him with lovesick eyes.

A moment later their lips were touching in a kiss and he was turning her over on her mattress. Rolling her body under his Scam smiled looking down at her in the early rays of the sun. Smiling Sam raised a hand and held the side of his face, giving his cheek a little squeeze before he descended his head down and started placing kisses against her neck. Burying his head in the crook of her neck he slowly ran his lips over the soft skin he found there making her moan and crane her head back while her body arched under his. "Tim..." she mumbled almost losing herself in him again until she remembered the long list of things she had to do before the W.O.O.H.P Christmas party. Feeling him gripping her waist harder and placing kisses lower down her neck Sam blushed before tapping his back, signalling him to stop. Lifting his head from her body he gave her a questioning look. Blushing harder Sam sighed. "Like I was saying I have things to do."

Tim raised an eyebrow before towering his form over hers and peering down into her eyes with an innocent face. "You want me to stop?" he asked making her bite her lip at the question. Blushing again Sam shook her head. "No…" she said leaving him to smirk and bring his body down almost touching hers until she held him back with her hand. "But at the same time I have things I need to do," she said making him sigh. Sitting up in the bed Scam shrugged. "Well...can't you do them while we're still you know…" he said, giving her a little smirk as his eyes smouldered with mischief and he patted the surface of the bed. "In here?" he finished making her blush hotter, sit up and hit him lightly on the shoulder while he chuckled.

"Seriously Tim," she whined. "I really have things to get done before the W.O.O.H.P. Christmas party," she said and soon his happiness had vanished at the mention of W.O.O.H.P. Looking at her seriously he nodded. "I should go," he said before stretching. "If I turn myself in now maybe Jerry won't notice I was ever gone," he said with a small sigh before moving to get off the bed and making her frown at the fact that he was already leaving and thinking of going back to jail. "No," she mumbled before grabbing his arm and pulling him back to her. "Stay," she said firmly while watching him open is mouth to argue but she quickly placed a finger against his lips and smiled softly. "The party is at 9:00 pm, we have all day," she said making look at her pointedly and she knew he was wondering about Clover and Alex.

Smiling harder she continued. "Clover is with Blaine and Alex has gone home to visit her parents," she said before moving her finger away and slumping against his body. "I don't want you to leave Tim, not yet..." she whispered while holding him by his waist. "Can't you spend Christmas with me?" she asked making him smile as he wrapped his arms around her and nodded knowing there was no where else he'd rather be.

* * *

It was quiet inside the church as Sam sat with her eyes closed in concentration, her hands folded and her lips sealed while she prayed. From next to her Scam watched her fixedly with a small smile on his lips. His eyes took in how calm and focused she looked and Sam bit her lip slightly losing her focus because she could feel his eyes digging into her. Letting out a breath but not opening her eyes Sam mumbled. "Stop staring at me would you?" she said making him raise his eyebrows and smirk at the fact that she could tell. "Hey..." he muttered while slightly bumping his shoulder against hers. "I'm allowed to stare at my angel if I want to," he said making her blush and finally open her eyes.

Turning to him she gave him a small, scolding look. "You're supposed to be praying," she said before moving her eyes around as if to remind him that they were in a Church. Letting out a quiet chuckle not to disturb the others that were there Scam shook his head. "Sam, I haven't prayed in a long long time," he said honestly, remembering how his faith in anything had been shattered a long time ago before he shrugged. "I'm sure I've even forgotten how to."

Blinking for a moment Sam nodded before she smiled having gotten and idea. "Well why don't you watch me then?" She said before closing her eyes and returning to her prayer, expecting him to take note of how she was praying. But as soon as her eyes closed he simply went back to quietly studying her beautiful face and because he was staring so intently he never noticed that she was done praying until she smacked his shoulder and made him focus. Giving her a smile he looked at her in curiosity. "What did you ask for? he asked and Sam smiled before she turned her head, looking at him lovingly." I have nothing left to ask for now..." she said with a small blush growing on her face. "So I was just thanking God for giving me...you."

His eyebrows rose and he couldn't help but smile at the innocent woman who was smiling at him while he wondered just how deep her feelings for him ran. Smiling harder and looking at her in awe he leaned a little closer and stroked her cheek making her blush harder before she pulled away and cleared her throat. "Okay, your turn," she said sounding official and making him blink before he realized she was serious about him praying. "Seriously Sam? he asked, trying to be certain only to have her give him a pout. Sighing he copied her actions and closed his eyes. Smiling Sam shook her head before she leaned over and took hold of his hands, folding them for him because he had forgotten. Feeling her helping him Scam smiled knowing there was only one thing he cared enough for to pray for.

After a long moment he slowly opened his eyes to find Sam looking at him innocently. "Well what did you ask for?" she asked and he smiled looking into her eyes. "I asked that you be in my life for a very very long time." Hearing his response she blushed softly while feeling her heart beat faster and soon she was fiddling with her fingers nervously. "I mean that much to you?" she asked making him cup her face in his hand and smile again. "You mean everything to me," he whispered and Sam felt herself melting into a puddle of mush at his words before she stood up while holding his and walking out of the church, smiling in happiness.

When they reached outside he glanced at her curiously. "So, where to next?" he asked while walking with her into the street. Glancing around he couldn't help but feel nervous and soon he was putting on his hood with his free hand. Walking next to him Sam frowned while watching him hiding his face from view and she knew he was still worried about Clover, Alex, Jerry and other W.O.O.H.P. agents seeing him out here with her. Sighing she walked with him in silence while wishing she had a way to make him lighten up only to have her eyes widen and a childish grin light up her face when she saw a little boy and girl having a snowball fight down the street.

Biting her lip, she carefully let go of his hand so that he wouldn't notice and fell a step behind while he kept walking. Scam, who was still waiting for an answer to his question, turned his head to talk to Sam again only to notice she was no longer at his side. Curious and concerned, he glanced around before turning to see if maybe she was behind him only to let out a surprised grunt when he was pelted with a snowball square in the chest. Looking at the snow sliding off his chest in shock he glanced up when he heard Sam giggling away at the sight of his shocked face. Although he was annoyed at being hit he couldn't help but stand there and smile because he honestly loved the sound of her laughter.

Seeing him standing there and not minding her having a snowball at him, something that surprised her Sam smirked before tossing another snowball his way and this one hit him in the shoulder. Glancing at his shoulder Scam huffed now beginning to get annoyed. Listening to her laughing he raised his hand and dusted the snow off his shoulder with a gloved hand. "Okay that's enough Sammie," he said warningly only to gasp when another snowball came whizzing past his ear, effectively knocking his hood off. Staring back at the redhead in shock he watched her do a fist pump. ""Oh, I'm good!" she cheered before giving him a grin and batting her eyelashes leaving him to grumble in annoyance. Laughing at his face Sam placed her hands on her hips. "What's the matter..." she said teasingly. "Don't know how to make a snowball, Timmy?" she said with a smirk leaving his jaw to drop open at her nerve and she giggled knowing now it was on.

Giving her a predatory smirk he began advancing towards her stealthily." What did you say?" he growled leaving her to bite her lip and take a few steps backwards before she gave him a smirk, turning and running down the street. "Sam get back here!" he shouted making her giggle as she ran through the snow as fast as she could to escape him. Seeing that she had a small lead Sam smirked before leaning down and grabbing some snow, forming a snowball before she turned for a second and threw it at him. Hearing him growl she laughed again knowing she had hit her target before she was running faster because she could hear him closing in on her.

When she leaned down to pick up some more snow a moment later, Sam gasped feeling him grab her waist from behind and soon he had pushed her into a pile of snow sitting off the side of a fence. Squealing in surprise Sam moved to get away only to have him grab her foot and pull her to him and in seconds she was trapped under him with his body towering over hers, his hands gripping her wrists and her head flat against the snow.

"Got'cha," he said proudly with a smirk on his face but Sam was still giggling over having hit him so many times. Rolling his eyes at the happy redhead he leaned his head down and cut her laughter off with a kiss, leaving her to moan and shut up. When he pulled away Sam bushed deeply before giving him a mock glare." Now you made me all cold!" she whined, giving him a pout and making him chuckle. "Well..." Tim said, his smirk growing on his lips as he lowered his head back down and soon his nose was touching hers. "I'll make it up to you by warming you up then," he said making her blush harder and bite her lip at the suggestive statement.

A half hour later they were both back at her home laying on her bed kissing fervently before a blazing fireplace. Taking a deep breath and getting a hold on her heartbeat Sam blushed before giving Scam a slight push in the chest. "Stop," she murmured while trying to sit up. "Why?" he asked, his voice rough only making her blush harder. Biting her lip and trying to ignore his hands that were clutching the hem of her shirt Sam wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed. "I still need to wrap Jerry's gift," she mumbled making him roll his eyes. Ignoring her hand still trying to hold him back Tim brought his head down and kissed her neck. "You can always do that later..." he mumbled leaving her to blush harder before she tugged on his shirt to get his attention. "Not if you keep bringing me back to my bed-room," she said quickly, flushing beet red before using her hold around his shoulders to try to push herself out from under him.

Scam smirked. "Now, now, you say that as if you don't _like_ it when I touch you." he said, smirking deviously while trying to pull her back against him. Blushing deeply Sam struggled with herself not to give in because she had work to do. "Tim," she muttered warningly but that didn't seem to bother him as he returned to pressing kisses against her collarbone. Sighing Sam relaxed for a moment making him smirk against her skin because he thought he had won. A moment later Sam poked him in his back making him look up to find her pouting. Scam raised an eyebrow at her pout before she wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed sounding defeated. "Fine, you win," she mumbled before giving him a kiss and making him smirk against her lips. Moving carefully Sam slowly pushed herself up before slowly turning them around so that her back was facing the door. Waiting for a second until he was completely distracted Sam smirked against his mouth before shoving him away and running out of the room with a giggle.

Blinking in shock Scam sat there not believing how she had just tricked him. Part of him was tempted to go grab her and drag her back to him but he decided against it, chuckling and deciding to let her get on with her day.

* * *

Sitting on the couch in her living room Sam smiled as she relaxed, taking a break from wrapping presents and watching TV. Her hands were in her lap and her legs were stretched out onto the couch, over Scam's lap while he sat with his arms stretched out over the edge of the couch, smiling at her from time to time. Flipping through channels Sam stopped when she saw that A Christmas Carol was on and she froze on the spot, biting her lip and glanced sideways at Scam who noticed it and tensed immediately.

He looked down away from the screen remembering what he had gone through just yesterday while the room filled up with awkward silence. Sam's eyes remained on his rigid face trying to figure out what to say when the words "Bah humbug" left Scrooge's mouth. Sam bit her lip and looked down, away from Scam's slightly embarrassed face until she found herself bursting out in laughter.

Finally looking up, Tim looked at Sam laughing her head off curiously, trying to figure out what was so funny. Giggling for another moment at the fact that he was supposed to have been a real-life Scrooge Sam smiled at his cute, questioning, and slightly annoyed face. Biting her lip she pushed her legs off his and crawled closer to him until she was sitting on his lap. Grinning she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him until her nose was brushing his. "I pick my Scrooge..." she said, running her finger across his jaw line and blushing. "Over that one any day," she whispered before placing her lips over his in a kiss. Pulling away from him she smiled again. "I'm going to go finish wrapping presents," she said making him sigh.

"Not again," he mumbled making her laugh before she got off the couch. "Well why don't you help me?" she said, a small smirk on her face at the thought of Tim Scam wrapping gifts. Scam raised an eyebrow before scoffing. "I'd rather sleep," he muttered remembering the flashy, pink wrapping paper Sam had used to wrap Clover's gift and cringing at the thought before making her throw a pillow at him as she pouted and walked out of the room.

* * *

Humming to herself Sam stood in her kitchen over the counter, smiling while the pot was boiling next to her on the stove. Glancing at the clock she bit her lip when she noticed how the time was 7:30 pm and it was almost time for the W.O.O.H.P party. _"That means it's almost time for Tim to leave too," _Sam thought sadly remembering how he planned on leaving with her and then waiting out the night before turning himself into Jerry tomorrow morning. Sighing Sam tried to focus on her cooking but she couldn't help but frown at the thought of him being in jail after how much he had changed. Today had been absolutely wonderful it made her upset just thinking about how it would never happen again. For the crimes that he had committed, even if he turned himself in with no hassle he would have to serve his sentence. Her face grew sadder as she remembered from memory how Scam's punishment was life imprisonment meaning if he went to jail he'd never be released again.

Feeling her lip quiver Sam tried to keep her tears from coming but she couldn't ignore how badly her heart hurt at the thought of him being in jail again. She wanted him with her, all the time not stuffed in a jail like a dangerous animal. _"Tim deserves a second chance,"_ she thought sadly knowing she believed in him and that was why she had given him a second chance. Couldn't W.O.O.H.P do the same? Couldn't Jerry give Tim Scam another chance? He had been his best agent at a time in his life, didn't that count for anything at all? Sam bit her lip deep in thought. Maybe Tim could start life afresh and do things right this time, just like he had decided to do with her. _"Since I can see how much he's changed, maybe just maybe Jerry will see it too..." _she thought, her heart growing hopeful.

She let out a little gasp when she felt a pair of strong, muscular arms wrap tightly around her waist before she smiled knowing it was Tim who was standing behind her slightly kissing her shoulder. Biting her lip and blushing she turned around to face him only to blush redder than the tomato she was slicing when she saw that he was standing there shower-soaked, his damp hair falling slightly into his sea-foam eyes, a slight smirk tugging on his lips, in only a towel waist-down. In the next moment he had picked her up by her waist and placed her on the kitchen counter. Leaving his hands on her waist he smirked slightly before leaning his head up and giving her a kiss leaving her to moan deeply. Pulling away he smiled. "So...what's cooking?" Still blushing deeply Sam bit her lip. "I made your favourite," she said leaving his eyes to glance over at what was cooking on her stove only to have his eyes widen when he saw it was Capellini, his favourite just like she said. Looking at her in awe he was about to ask how she knew but then stopped remembering how much she cared about him.

Holding her face in his hand he smiled. "Stop spoiling me Sammie...very soon I'll be back to eating W.O.O.H.P.'s prison food, which for the record is disgusting," he said chuckling at the last part. Taking in a sharp breath Sam found herself frowning and tears starting to fill up in her eyes. Sliding off the counter she took a step closer and wrapped him up in a fierce hug, holding him as close to herself as she could.

Blinking in surprise Scam smiled before wrapping his arms around her and returning her hug. "Is something wrong?" he mumbled into the top of her head making her bite her lip in thought. _"Should I tell him? Should I tell him what I want?" _she wondered, trying to figure out if he would be willing to take the chance. Taking a deep breath Sam decided it was worth the shot. She had to try. "Tim I was thinking...maybe you-" A sneeze cut her off. Sniffing slightly, Scam cleared his throat. "Sorry, what were you saying?" he asked politely. Frowning Sam looked up at him in concern. "You're cold," she said making him smirk. "Yea I'm kinda wet and in a towel," he said making her blush again as she unwrapped her arms from around him and let him go to get dressed.

Chuckling he went to look for his clothes only to have her grab his wrist from behind. "Wait!" she said making him turn his head back to her. She blushed again looking nervous. "I have something for you," she said making him look at her curiously before she left the kitchen and returned a moment later with a wrapped box in her hands.

Scam smiled noting the black and red wrapping and remembering the vision he had seen of her wrapping him a gift like this each year. Smiling she held the box out to him. "This is for you," she said softly only making him smile harder at her kindness. Taking the box he whispered a thank you before he began to open it. "Wait!" Sam screamed the moment he was about to unwrap the box. He turned his head and watched her curiously. Blushing she began fiddling with her fingers nervously. "Don't open it yet..." she whispered softly. Tim chuckled, before watching her with a smile. "Why not?" he asked making her blush harder. Sam took a deep breath. "Because...I get nervous when people open my gifts," she admitted making him smile harder. What had he ever done to deserve a girl like her?

Setting down the box on the kitchen counter he drew a little nearer to her before reaching out and pulling her closer. Sam smiled when she felt him rest his head in the crook of her neck. Sighing he whispered words against her skin." Don't be nervous...I don't deserve anything at all," he said making her smile vanish. Sighing, she pulled his head out of her neck and gave him a sad smile while glancing into his eyes. "Please Tim..." she whispered softly. "Don't say things like that," she said before wrapping him up in a hug. "You know it's true," he said with a chuckle as he rested his chin on top of her head, holding her closely in his embrace. Sam shook her head from within his arms. "No it's not," she protested making him sigh. "Yes it is and besides...I don't even have anything for you," he said sounding remorseful.

A happy smile formed on her lips, one large enough that he could feel against his chest. "You are mine..." she breathed out quietly while her hands clutched him as close to her as she could. "I don't need anything else from you Tim," she whispered before blushing at her own words that spoke so clearly of her feelings for him. Scam smiled moving to pull her out of his embrace and give her another kiss but she only blushed harder and picked up the unwrapped gift, pushing it towards him. "Okay….you can open it," she said, looking at her feet and biting her lip.

Smiling at her he quickly opened the box only to have his eyes widen when he saw what was inside. Pulling out the black, leather jacket, sweater and shirt he looked up at her only to see she was still looking down. Raising her chin he gave her a smile, gratefulness showing in his eyes. "Thank you so much Sam, I love it," he said making her grin. 'Really?" she asked with joy in her eyes. Nodding her pulled her close, letting his lips touch her right ear. "You know me so well Sammie," he whispered making her face heat up. Feeling her temperature rise he held her close, wrapping her in a hug and moving to kiss her only to have her poke his chest and blush. "You're going to get sick," she said warningly making him smirk. "Not if I'm holding you in my arms," he said making reference to how her body was burning up like a furnace at his touch and leaving her blush to deepen.

Chuckling at her red face Scam smirked before pinning her against the counter and letting his bare toes touch hers. Biting her lip Sam looked up at him with hazy eyes and soon her arms were reaching up, wrapping around his neck while his lips were devouring her own.

The sudden ringing of the phone made them jump and pull apart, both groaning at the unexpected interruption because they hadn't been interrupted all day until now. Blushing deeply and catching her breath Sam went to get the phone. Picking up the phone Sam twirled the cord in her hand. "Hello?" she said only to hear Clover's happy voice on the other end. "Sammie! Merry Christmas!" she said cheerfully making Sam smile. "Merry Christmas to you too. How are you doing?" she asked politely making the blonde huff. "I'm fine duh! I called to remind you about the W.O.O.H.P party, we're seeing you at 9:00 pm right?" The question left Sam speechless as she glanced over her shoulder at Tim Scam who had followed her into the room.

Looking at him sadly she realized that very soon he was supposed to leave and her perfect Christmas would be coming to an end. Blinking sadly at his soft, questioning smile Sam took a deep breath in and wondered over what to do. Her eyes narrowed as the idea she had had not too long ago came rushing back and she nodded to herself having made up her mind before she turned back to the phone.

"Yes," she said leaving Scam to quietly sigh behind her. He had been hoping she would stay even though he knew Sam couldn't miss the W.O.O.H.P party. There would too many questions if she didn't attend. Smiling to himself Tim watched Sam as she talked to her friend. _"Well this day was wonderful," _he thought, knowing it had been much more than he had ever hoped for. He was actually okay with leaving now, after being given all these pleasant memories to remember once he turned himself in tomorrow morning. At least next year, when Christmas rolled around he would no longer be cringing or brooding. He would be in his jail cell thinking of Sam Simpson just a little bit more than he would be on every other day.

* * *

Standing in front of her floor-length mirror Sam finished putting on the dress her mom and dad had bought her, having decided to wear it to the W.O.O.H.P Christmas party since Clover had told her that there was thankfully no dress code this year. Feeling a hand on her back Sam relaxed knowing it had to be Tim. Pulling up the zipper of her dress Scam smiled before placing a kiss in her shoulder and glancing at her in the mirror. "You look beautiful," he whispered in her ear making her smile and blush. Turning around to thank him Sam froze, her eyes widening when she noticed what he was wearing. He was standing there behind her wearing the jacket she had bought him, giving her a smile. "I thought you might have wanted to see it on me," he said, still smiling at he put his hands on her shoulders and drew her closer. "How does it look?" he asked making her smile as she realized it looked even better on him than she had imagined. "It's a perfect fit," she said making him nod and smile again.

Smiling at him Sam narrowed her eyes realizing she was in her bedroom and deciding she might as well give him his other presents now. Who knew if what she wanted to happen would work out? If it didn't...it was very possible she would never see him again. Pushing away that depressing thought Sam pulled away from him and walked to her closet, drawing out the two other presents she had for him. One from 2008 the other from 2009. Smiling she handed them to him with a blush. "Here, these are for you as well." Holding the boxes with care he glanced at her with his eyes filled with admiration. "You're making me guilty here Sammie," he said making her laugh because she knew he was talking about the fact that he didn't have a present for her. Shaking her head she smiled. "I told you, I don't need anything else from you, but you." She said before turning around and walking to her vanity desk to put on her jewellery and leaving him to open his presents.

Setting the gifts on her bed he walked up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze. "I owe you Sam, I owe you so much," he said making her sigh and open her mouth to argue but he stopped her by speaking first. "Shhhh, I mean it, I owe you Sam," he said making her smile at the gratefulness in his tone, something she had never thought she'd hear in his voice. Pressing his palms against her shoulders, massaging them slightly he made her sigh in content as her eyes closed on their own, enjoying his igniting touch. "Sam?" he said making her nod her head while her eyes remained closed in bliss. "Yes Tim?" He smiled, massaging her a little bit more. "If there is ever anything I can do for you, anything at all," he said thoughtfully. "Just ask, okay?" he said making a smile break out on her face and nod. Releasing her shoulders he left her to finish getting ready and returned to the boxes she had given him. Smiling he pulled apart the wrapping on the first and smiled when he pulled out a book and knowing she knew he still had a habit of reading to relax despite the hectic, criminal life he had led.

Opening the next box he smiled again when he found a black and silver Chronograph Alarm Watch, not surprised at how it matched with the present she had given him this year because he knew Sam was very organized. Smiling to himself he glanced at the girl sitting there with her back to him. Despite his expansive IQ he still couldn't figure out how a guy like him had been given a girl like her. Someone who knew everything about him without him ever even having take the time to tell her. Someone who had fallen in love with him without him even having loving her first. He honestly couldn't help but hope she would find some way for him to begin repaying her. He wasn't sure how, but he knew he would do anything to make her happy.

Finishing with her make-up and jewellery Sam glanced at the clock and sighed when she saw it was already 8:30 pm. It was already time to go to the W.O.O.H.P party. Biting her lip she turned around to face Tim who was sitting on her bed, smiling at her. Walking over she joined him on the bed and leaned her head against his chest. "I have to go now," she said, sounding miserable and making him smile at how reluctant she was to part from him. Leaning her back he looked her in the eyes. "Thanks for the best Christmas, the best day of my life Sam," he said while cupping her cheek and smiling harder. "I'll always remember this day," he whispered making her smile sadly as she leaned back into his chest and wrapped him up in a tight hug. "You're welcome," she mumbled into his chest leaving him to wrap his arms around her and hold her close. "...But," she started slowly with head muffled against his body. "... I don't want it to end."

Hearing her words Scam stiffened not knowing what she was talking about. Concerned, he pulled her head up. "Sam you're not thinking of missing the party right? You know that's too risky," he said warningly. Smiling at his concern Sam knew this just proved that she was doing the right thing. Reaching up she held his face, bringing it down and kissing him for a moment before she shook her head. "No..I"m not," she said making him take a breath of relief. Mustering up her courage Sam knew this was the time to speak. "Tim..." she whispered, snuggling closer to him. "Do you remember how you said you'd do anything for me?" Closing his eyes he wrapped his arms around her body as she sat on his lap, leaning against his chest. "Mhmm," he said in response making her smile. Taking a deep breath and clutching him close Sam smiled. "I want you to come with me to the W.O.O.H.P Christmas party."

Scam who had been relaxing with Sam in his arms suddenly froze on the spot when he heard her words. "..What?" he said slowly, wondering if his ears were making him hear what she said. Sighing Sam took her head out of his chest and looked him in the eye. "I said I want you to come to the W.O.O.H.P Christmas party with me," she repeated making his eyes widen in shock when he realized Sam was serious. After a moment of sitting still in shock Scam sighed. "Sam..." he started slowly while holding her close. "I don't think that's such a good idea." Sam sighed, bowing her head and knowing why he was hesitating. He knew that as soon as he walked into W.O.O.H.P he would be arrested and thrown into his jail cell and he didn't want that because he was planning on turning himself in on his own. That way his pride would still remain intact.

Finding her silent he grew afraid that maybe he had made her upset. Rubbing her back to soothe her he sighed. "I have your love, that's all I need Sammie," he whispered knowing Sam was thinking of getting him his freedom. Something that he'd never have because he was a criminal everyone hated for reasons he now accepted. His punishment was life imprisonment and that would never be reduced or removed. Building Sam's hopes up for no reason would just end up hurting her more in the end, that was something he never wanted to happen.

"But I need you," she said suddenly breaking into his thoughts. Looking down he saw her sad face, her eyes almost filling up with tears and he knew she was dead serious about trying to have him released. He didn't want to put her through the pain though. He knew he wouldn't be able to live with himself if Sam's friends stopped trusting her over him, if W.O.O.H.P disrespected her because of him. Smiling sadly he held her face and wiped away the tears that were now falling. "I have to make myself worthy of you Sam, I haven't done that yet," he said only making her cry harder as she pulled her face out of his hands. "And how do you plan on doing that?" she asked now clearly sounding upset. "By going to W.O.O.H.P to serve a life sentence? Do you really think that's going to make you worthy?" she asked sadly.

Biting his cheek Scam sighed. "I'll never be worthy of you, but by serving my sentence at least I'll be one step closer to making up for all the hurt I've caused you." Taking in a sharp intake of breath Sam shook her head furiously. "Not having you around will hurt me more Tim," she said while crying and clutching his shirt. "Don't you get it?" she asked in a soft whisper. "I hate not having you around!" she cried making him frown sadly. "I'm going to miss you too Sam but there is no other way-"

"So you're just going to give up? Never try what I'm asking you to?" she screamed, pulling further away from him. Feeling bad for making her upset Scam tried to take her back in his arms so he could calm her down but Sam held him back with her hand. "If I had known that your learning that I love you would have led to me losing you... then I would have never confessed my feelings," she said shocking him. Crying, Sam bit her lip. "At least I would have been able to see you on missions," she said sadly making him look down guiltily and frown. "You know that wouldn't have made you happy Sam. You know how much it's hurt you to have to hide this from me for so long," he said making her sigh.

Wiping away some of her tears Sam shrugged. "So what?" she asked, sounding heartbroken. "It's hurting me more to lose you now that I have you." Scam went silent at her words not knowing what to say to take her pain away. Finding him silent Sam bit her lip and slowly reached out to touch his shoulder. "Tim you promised," she said making him look up. "You promised you'd do anything to make me happy," she reminded before another tear rolled down her face. "Does it look like your decision of turning yourself in is making me happy?" she asked making him sigh and shake his head. "No," he said before letting out another sigh and giving her a serious glance. "But what you're asking me to do...it'll never work," he said firmly.

Smiling softly Sam came closer to him and gently held his face. "It would make me so happy if we tried," she said making him fall silent again. She knew he'd do anything for her happiness. Sighing he tried to reason with her again. "Jerry will throw me straight in jail," he said sounding sure and with no trace of doubt in his tone. Smiling again Sam stroked his face and looked him in the eye. "Even if he does...you'll have me visiting you each and every day," she said making his mouth form a small smile at her words because he knew he had her no matter what. His small smile faded with is next thought. "What if they don't let you see me?" he asked, sounding upset, knowing Jerry and Sam's friends were going to think he had done something to Sam, somehow messed with her head to make her fall in love with him. They wouldn't understand why Sam loved him. How could they when he still didn't know?

Smiling sadly Sam shook her head. "There is nothing in the world that can keep me from visiting you," she whispered with her nose touching his and he couldn't help but smile at the dedication in her tone. Noticing his smile she continued hoping he was going to hear her. "I'm confident Jerry will give you a chance Tim," she said and soon he was casting her a doubtful glance. Biting her lip Sam knew she too wasn't sure of how Jerry would react, part of her was afraid but she was more afraid of losing Tim. She had to try no matter what. "Besides..." she mumbled. "You were going to turn yourself in anyway, isn't it at least worth a shot?" she said logically making him look down and sigh.

She was right. The worse that could happen was that he would be put back in jail but he was still hesitating Sam's option because he wasn't sure if he could stand the humiliation of being dragged out from a party in front of all the agents that worked at W.O.O.H.P.

_"There is no chance that Jerry will let me go," _he thought glumly, moving to tell Sam that only to stop when he saw all the hope in her eyes quickly reminding him of the promise he had made her to do whatever she wanted. He couldn't say no. He had just promised to give her all she wanted, he couldn't break that promise no matter what. "Tim?" Sam said softy, worried over his prolonged silence. Taking a deep breath and hoping she wouldn't regret this he gave her a little nod. "Okay Sam, I'll go with you," he said making her face light up in joy. Smiling happily Sam threw her arms around him and held him close. "Thank you Tim," she whispered sounding relieved before she pulled back and kissed his cheek.

Holding his hand in hers and leading him out of her room Sam looked up at him and smiled wider. "I love you," she said leaving him to give her a small, tight smile. "I love you too Sam," he whispered while tightening his grip on her hand and leaving her house with her to head to W.O.O.H.P.

* * *

Standing outside the W.O.O.H.P ballroom Sam took a deep breath before throwing a glance at the man who was standing next to her looking very tense. "Well here we are," she said leaving him to nod. Smiling and holding his hand she moved to open the door only to have him pull her back. Looking at him curiously she found him frowning. "Sam are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, sounding worried and knowing that as soon as he went inside the room that was full of happy, celebrating agents, dancing and talking, it would all come to a halt and the celebrations would be over. "Of course I do," Sam said before giving him a small, encouraging smile because she knew he was hesitating. Trying to return her smile but sighing instead Scam tried to ignore his anxiety. A moment later he gave her a nod telling her he was ready.

Smiling Sam moved to open the door only to have him pull her back again. Wondering what the problem was now Sam was surprised when he pulled her in his arms and kissed her forehead, then her cheek, her neck, ear and then finally her lips where he remained for a moment before pulling away. Blushing at his loving gesture Sam turned to open the door without realizing he had just prepared himself to say goodbye to her. Those kisses he had just given her were an attempt to hold onto to the memory of what it felt like to have her with him. Something he just knew he was going to lose the moment they stepped inside.

When Sam finally opened the door and went inside at first agents cheered and smiled at her, glad that she was finally here. All that came to a crushing halt a second later as she fully entered the room and everyone saw who else had walked in with her. Soon the sound of shocked gasps had taken over the music that had been blaring loudly and agents were whispering amongst themselves while staring at the man that stood next to her in resentment and shock. Sam felt herself go slightly pale but she told herself to remain strong for Scam's sake, besides she hadn't expected them to welcome them with open arms. Feeling Tim's arm going tense in her hold Sam tightened her gip on his hand before turning and giving him a smile, letting him know she wasn't going to back down. Within the next moment the music had stopped and all the couples were no longer dancing and everyone was slowly crowding around Sam and Tim Scam.

Clover who had been happily dancing with her boyfriend Blaine stopped and narrowed her eyes when Alex pointed out that the music had stopped and something seemed to be wrong. Turning their heads, Clover, Blaine, Alex and the agent Alex had been dancing with all glanced at the crowd that was suddenly forming nearby the entrance of the ballroom. Now curious Clover bit her lip before speaking to Blaine and Alex. "You don't think Jerry booked a live band that's just arrived right?" she asked making both of them shake their heads in doubt. Sighing but knowing that was asking for too much Clover focused back on the crowd. "Then what's causing so much commotion?" she wondered out loud, speaking the question that was also on their minds. "Let's go check," Alex said before pushing Clover towards the mass of agents. Pushing and shoving through the hundreds of agents they finally made their way through the front of the mob only to gasp at what they saw when they reached.

There standing in front of them was their Sammie with Tim Scam next to her. Glancing at each other quickly, they looked at each other in confusion not understanding what was going on at all. Glancing back at Sam to try and get a clue both their eyes widened a moment later but for different reasons. Alex gasped slightly when she saw that Sam wasn't just standing next to Scam, she was in fact holding his hand tightly in hers as they stood there. _"If Sam hates him why is she holding his hand?" _she thought. Confused and shocked she bit her lip trying to figure something out when she stopped remembering how Sam had been acting all day yesterday. She could still remember how she had been oddly spacing out as if thinking of someone all day. Keeping her eyes on Sam and Scam's joined hands Alex remained deep in thought. _"And she turned down Clover's offer to go on a double-date," _Alex thought, easily remembering how Sam had chosen to stay home instead.

Slightly chewing on her lower lip Alex gasped in shock a moment later as she remembered Sam's words yesterday morning._ "I don't need to find a soul mate," _she had said firmly and standing there Alex couldn't help but remember how uncomfortable Sam had been while discussing her love life with them...as if she had something to hide, something that she couldn't even tell her best friends. Growing pale Alex didn't need to think twice to know that having feelings for their enemy, an enemy such as Tim Scam was something that counted as one such thing that Sam would probably hide from them. Not just ready to believe what her mind was telling her Alex thought harder, trying to think of an explanation only to stop and give up when she remembered how yesterday Sam had been the one to ask if Tim Scam was in jail specifically. Why would she have done that unless she was thinking about him all day?

Standing next to her Clover's jaw remained slightly opened as her shock refused to die down. Her eyes remained glued on the man that was next to Sam and she gasped again when she noticed what he was wearing. _"It's the same gift Sam said she bought for Jerry," _Clover thought in shock while remembering how Sam had said she was going to return it later after she had pointed out how it was too large for Jerry's frame. Biting her lip, her blue eyes ran across Scam and easily noted how perfectly the jacket fit him, as if it was meant to have been bought for him and only him. Eyes widening even more Clover found herself staring at Scam's brown hair and green eyes._ "No.." _she thought, shocked when her own observation from over the years came back to her. Tim Scam had brown hair and green eyes, that was something she had overlooked yesterday when she listed men who had this appearance that Sam had shown an interest in. Shocked beyond words she gulped dryly before remembering how Sam had gulped when she had pointed that pattern out yesterday._ "She was probably thinking of...him," _Clover thought while her eyes threatened to pop out of their sockets. _"Oh my God,"_ she said to herself as more understanding dawned upon her.

She had always wondered what had made Sam's interest in boyfriends vanish and what had led to her to not have a date in three years. While she was no math expert and knew she didn't have a perfect memory, hadn't it been roughly three years since they had all met Tim Scam? Taking deep breaths to fight off her shock Clover only grew more pale as she remembered how Sam donated blood every year to W.O.O.H.P on Christmas for a reason she couldn't understand. Just yesterday when she had pointed out how some of the blood donated also went to criminals Sam had changed the topic and distracted her with shopping. _"She did it on purpose..." _Clover thought while staring at her redheaded friend in shock. Desperately trying to think of another reason for all these strange things Sam had done Clover thought long and hard only to stop when she vividly remembered how she had had to pull Sam away from none other than Tim Scam's cell when they had been needlessly checking on criminals yesterday afternoon. Suddenly everything made a lot of sense.

After a few moments of silent observation, both Clover and Alex looked at each other with the same realization on their minds but not being able to bring themselves to say it to one another because they were still in shock. Since the room was completely silent from the shock that everyone was suffering, they all clearly heard a set of doors open and the only person who wasn't here walk in.

With a merry smile on his face, Jerry stepped into his live party joyfully only to freeze at the sight of the ballroom. It didn't take long for him to notice that the music was off, no one was dancing and that there was a huge crowd at the front end of the ballroom. Jerry blinked in confusion not really understanding why it was quiet enough to hear a pin drop at his Christmas party. Deciding to get some answers Jerry called out. "What's going on everyone?" he asked leaving about a hundred agents to gasp in what could only be described as panic. Still, no one said a word. Now confused more than ever, Jerry quickly parted his way through his agents to try and see who or what was causing all this silence. Looking around, over the heads of his agents he remained confused while he pushed his way through because he didn't see anything strange yet.

His confusion vanished in the next second as he came to the front of the crowd and saw Sam and the man who was next to her, his frame being too tall to be hidden behind Sam while he stood there. Not understanding what the meaning of this was Jerry remained silent trying to figure things out until he realized that perhaps Sam had noticed Scam had escaped when he hadn't and was doing her duty by bringing Scam back to jail. In the back of his mind he couldn't help but wonder how Scam had escaped without tripping any alarm or killing a guard but he brushed that thought off because it didn't matter. Sam had brought him back to prison. However that thought vanished the moment Sam turned to face him and he saw how she was clutching Scam's hand, how her fingers were intertwined with his.

Jerry went silent for a moment, going slightly pale before he found his voice. "Guards!" he screamed, springing the guards who had been frozen in shock to life and soon they were all rapidly moving towards Scam to haul him away. Gasping Sam looked at them in panic before she released Scam's hand and stood in front of him. "Wait!" she screamed, a glare on her face leaving the guards to stop short. Looking at her in doubt everyone knew Sam was W.O.O.H.P.'s top spy. If she was doing this, stopping them from arresting Tim Scam there had to be some explanation for it. While most of the security guards stopped and waited for further orders some of them continued to discreetly close in on Scam, knowing it was their job to arrest him.

Noting his guards still moving despite Sam having asked them to wait Jerry sighed before speaking. "Stop," he said in an authoritative tone. "I want to hear what Sam has to say about this," he said firmly making the guards glance at each other before reluctantly pulling back because they knew they couldn't disobey Jerry's orders. Once the room was silent again Jerry stiffly looked at his favourite spy. "What's...the meaning of this Sam?" he asked quietly and everyone waited with baited breath for her answer, desperately wanting to know what she was doing with a criminal.

Taking a deep breath and summoning all her courage Sam took a step forward. "Jerry I know this is unexpected but Tim...he's decided to give up crime," she said leaving almost everyone to gasp in shock, many agents pointing out how she was calling Scam "Tim" and trying to figure out why that was. Frozen in his place Jerry struggled to digest her words before he took a shaky breath and looked at her carefully. "Sam, I don't know how a spy as smart as you fell for this..." he started slowly with a frown on his face. "But you do realize he's probably lying, right?" he said, giving her a pointed look and expecting her to agree. Frowning she shocked him further when she shook her head. "He's not," she said sounding a hundred percent sure.

Frowning at Sam's illogical reasoning at this moment Jerry crossed his arms over his chest. "...And how would you know that?" he asked with scrutiny, his eyes glancing at her with doubt. Looking at Jerry with a sigh and trying to find the right words to explain this without making herself sound crazy Sam bit her lip before speaking. "Because recent events have made him rethink his life," she said firmly. Raising an eyebrow Jerry took a step closer to Sam and shrugged. "Really?" he asked, doubt dripping from his tone. "Just yesterday he was threatening me when I visited him in jail," he said angrily while throwing a glare at Tim Scam who for reasons he couldn't understand was just standing there in total silence with his gaze glued to the floor.

Ignoring the harshness in Jerry's tone Sam went on not willing to give up. "A lot has changed since yesterday Jerry," she said, her voice soft and sounding almost hopeful. Sighing tiredly Jerry shook his head not believing what he was hearing her. Why was his best agent saying these things? None of this made any sense at all. "You mean to tell me that TIM SCAM," he said, putting heavy emphasis on the name to remind her how dangerous of a criminal she was defending. "Has given up crime over one night?" he spat. Biting her lip Sam looked down sadly knowing that one night did seem too soon for anyone to change. And Tim? While she knew he had changed inside out, his reputation was going to make it difficult for others to believe in him. _"If only I could get them to see him through my eyes,"_ she thought sadly while reaching back and taking his hand again, not willing to let him go.

Finding Sam silent and holding Scam's hand again Jerry frowned deeper. Why was Sam holding onto him like this? His eyes widened in worry. Had he brainwashed her to follow his orders? To fight against them? _"But what would he get out of doing this? Making Sam argue that he has changed?" _Jerry thought, biting his lip in confusion before he sighed. Glancing at the redhead in concern he took a step closer to her. "Sam, what did he do to you?" he asked sounding afraid and looking pale. Standing at her side Scam let out a small sigh, his hold on Sam's hand loosening as he gave up. He had told Sam he was sure that Jerry wouldn't understand. Why hadn't she just listened to him?

"Did he hypnotize you?" He gasped, another thought horrifying him. "Did he brainwash you?" Jerry asked, sounding even more panicked as he came closer, and soon other agents were nearing in on her too as if to investigate her health. Eyes narrowing in mild anger at their lack of understanding Sam took a step back, taking Scam with her. "No! He didn't do anything to me!" she screamed making them all stop in their tracks and sigh. Taking a deep breath to keep up her resolve Sam looked straight at Jerry knowing it was he who she had to convince. If she could just get Jerry to see her point than the other agents would agree too. "This isn't a trap, it isn't a lie..." she said softly before nodding her head towards Scam. "He really has changed."

The agents only gave her doubtful faces as they murmured against themselves and Jerry stood there looking the most doubtful of all. Sighing sadly at Jerry's brick face she tried again. "Jerry, you've always said I was your best spy... " she said, walking closer to him and glancing at him with nothing but hope and desperation in her eyes. "Can't you take my judgement?" she asked softly while looking at him with the same unwavering eyes. "Don't you think I would know if Tim was lying to me?" she asked knowing Jerry and everyone knew she was intelligent and logical enough to catch a lie.

Looking at her sadly Jerry nodded once. "I would but your clearly deluded Sam," he said making her sigh sadly and open her mouth the argue again but her cut her off with a glare. "Tim Scam can't be trusted, you know this," he said sounding disappointed at the fact that Sam, their Sam could forget something that had been drilled into their minds over the years. Trying to make her understand Jerry glared harder. "He's evil and selfish," he spat. "He doesn't care for anyone but him!" Jerry shouted, his words ringing around the room and echoing off the walls. Jerry didn't bother to control his volume because he was frankly upset and annoyed. Just yesterday he had tried to reason with this man and all he had gotten were cold, uncaring words spoken by the arrogant, cruel man that Scam was. Why on Earth did Sam think that had changed? Sighing he spoke again. "He's dangerous Sam, you know better than to trust him," he said determinedly before giving her another disappointed glance.

Looking away from her angry boss Sam bit her lip before glancing back up, her face looking broken. "But he isn't that TIM SCAM anymore," she protested sadly. "He's not the same man who wanted to destroy W.O.O.H.P, and kill agents and hurt me..." she whispered before turning to glance at Tim Scam who was standing there staring at her with unblinking eyes. "He would never hurt me," Sam said, a sad smile on her lips as she looked in Tim's eyes, his concern for her showing clearly there.

"Sam what are you saying? TIM SCAM wouldn't hurt you?" Jerry howled from behind her making her sigh and reluctantly turn around and glance at her raging leader. Shaking his head to bottle in his anger and shock Jerry screamed again. "Do I need to remind you how many times he's tried to KILL YOU?" he asked in bewilderment wondering how she could ever forget. "How many attempts he made at your and your friends' lives?" He snarled making Sam bite her lip and look down sadly and Jerry knew she remembered. Still she said nothing as she stood there determinedly at Scam's side, never backing down for even one second.

Looking around in desperation Jerry noticed Clover and Alex standing there looking at their friend silently. Rushing over to them Jerry spoke quickly knowing they would remember what they had endured because of Scam. "Clover, Alex!" he said making them look up at him quietly. "Please remind Sam of what he's put all of you through," he said leaving them to sigh and look back at Sam. Glancing at the redhead Clover and Alex moved to speak only to find their words failing at the sight of Sam's sad, hopeful eyes. And they just knew she was asking them for their support. Closing their mouths they looked down at their feet not saying a word and ignoring Jerry frowning at their lack of help.

"Clover...Alex?" he said, sounding betrayed but their lips remained sealed. Giving them a frustrated glance he turned back to Sam. "I'll remind you myself then," he muttered. "Taking over W.O.O.H.P in my place!" he screamed beginning the long list of offences Scam had committed. "Turning your own mother against you, trying to turn me evil, joining the L.A.M.O.S. to attack W.O.O.H.P!" He screamed breathlessly shaking from rage. Glancing around Sam could easily see the fury on the agents' faces telling her they were with Jerry and hated Scam. "How can you forgive that Sam?" Jerry asked a moment later sounding angry and betrayed. Standing next to Sam, Scam tensed now worried that they were seeing Sam as a traitor.

Ignoring Scam's hand slightly pulling on hers as if telling her to stop Sam took another deep breath. "Those attacks were as much on me as they were on W.O.O.H.P," she said firmly while turning her head and looking at everyone. "I remember them more clearly than you think.." she said and Scam frowned sadly remembering how Sam had mentioned what he had done in her prayers to God for his forgiveness.

Sighing sadly she bit her lip. "But that doesn't mean I can't look past all that and forgive someone who had changed," she said gently. "Holding someone's past against them just isn't right Jerry," she said desperately trying to make Jerry understand only to see him looking at her with a disgruntled frown. Growing even sadder Sam looked at him with heartbroken eyes. "I thought you believed in redemption?" she said now near tears. Watching Sam sadly Jerry felt bad about making her this upset. But what she was saying was wrong. He couldn't just forget everything Tim Scam had done. He couldn't just believe he had changed so easily. "I believe in redemption where there is hope Sam..." he said slowly before pointing a finger towards Scam. "But him?" he screamed. "He's hopeless and you know this!"

The room went silent again and Tim Scam kept his gaze on the floor. As he stood there being reminded of his crimes he could feel the hateful stares he was being given. He could sense all the anger and hatred directed at him more than he ever had. It didn't take him any time at all to figure out that no one had any faith in him whatsoever. "No I don't, I don't believe he's hopeless!" Sam said suddenly making Scam lift his head slowly and glance at her in awe because she was still fighting for him despite it being hopeless. Giving Jerry a glare Sam kept talking. "I believe in him and you should too!" she said slightly clutching her head and taking a deep breath. "My God Jerry, if someone wants to change you should be helping them not discouraging them!" she said accusingly making the old man give her a pointed look accompanied by a frown.

"He can't change!" Jerry screamed right back. "He's incapable of change!" Sam shook her head defiantly. "Are you not seeing the obvious?" she asked sadly. "If he's so incapable of change then explain to me how he has?" she said, tears slightly running down her face at this point. Sighing heavily Jerry gave her a stern glare. "He hasn't changed, "he said and everyone gave her and Scam doubtful looks filled with mistrust. Ignoring the other agents Sam glanced past Jerry's face to look at Clover and Alex who weren't saying anything but were also looking at her questioningly. And she knew whether or not anyone else would see what she was getting it, they would if she tried hard enough.

Sighing Sam looked only at her friends. "Would you just look at him?" she asked, slowly pushing Tim a little closer to her friends. "Does he seem like the same man you all hate? The same criminal we've been fighting for years?" she asked making them focus on Tim Scam and noting how guilty he looked. The look of guilt was so foreign to his face that it simply couldn't be mistaken for anything else. His eyes were downcast and his jaw was tense as he just stood there with his normally arrogant mouth closed. It didn't take much effort for everyone, for Clover, Alex and Jerry to see how he wasn't smirking like he always did, how he wasn't doing anything just standing there in total silence while not meeting eyes with any of them. It seemed as if something had happened to him, something that had changed his behaviour completely but they were still afraid to believe it. Why would he just change like this? For no reason?

Noting how the room has gone completely silent after she had pushed Scam forward Sam looked at her fellow agents torn faces, all of them glancing at Scam as if judging him quietly. As if weighing the possibility of him having changed in their minds and trying to figure out if it was a believable thought. Taking this is a good sign Sam took a shaky breath and gave them a little smile. "I can see that you see it," she whispered. "It's on your faces, you can tell he's different now. Can't you?" she asked, hoping someone, anyone would open their mouths and agree. Waiting for a moment Sam felt her heart falling into a dark pit of despair when no one spoke or even nodded telling her they trusted him. That they trusted her. Clenching her fist at her side she felt tears running down her face. Sad, heartbroken tears of defeat. They didn't believe her. After everything she had said they didn't believe he was different.

"I know that this is hard to believe.." she said with her head still down and her tears still falling. "B-but he's really changed," she choked out before raising her head and looking at everyone in the room in desperation. "Please? Please believe me," she said, almost begging them to hear her out as her hope slowly faded away at their silence.

Watching Sam with sad eyes Jerry could feel his heart breaking. He hated having to deny the girl he saw as his daughter. Taking in a breath to calm himself he tried to go about this more logically. "Why would he change Sam?" he asked, breaking the silence that had been there for a few, long moments. "Why? What's he going to get out of this?" Jerry asked knowing the Tim Scam he knew had no interest in becoming a good man. Looking at the man she saw as a second father sadly Sam whispered. "People can change once they find a reason to, Jerry," she said, while holding back her tears. "Tim's found his, that's what's made him change," she said, her voice shaky from the effort of choking back her sadness. "Please Jerry..." she begged while coming a little closer to him and letting him see all the hopelessness on her face. "He's really changed."

Quiet filled the room again and slowly everyone looked at Tim Scam noting again how he was saying nothing. How he looked broken and remorseful, nothing like the man they had known all these years. But at the same time they knew him well and they also knew how well Tim Scam could lie, how perfectly he could put on an act.

"How do we know this isn't some kind of trap?" One faceless agent asked, several nodding around him. "How are we supposed to believe him?" another asked softly, looking at Sam for direction. "It's not", Sam said with a stern look on her face, "And I know that all of you can't trust him", she said, glancing at Tim, "But you trust ME don't you?" she asked only to find everyone looking at her as if she was a criminal herself, a traitor to W.O.O.H.P.

Taking a shaky breath of despair she struggled to keep talking knowing she had to keep trying to Tim. I'm not under some hypnosis or brainwashing…" she said, trying to keep her voice from shaking at the thoughts people were thinking about her. "This is me, Sam Simpson," she said firmly. "The agent you all voted as best ever since I started at W.O.O.H.P," she said reminding them of how much some of them respected her and looked up to her and hoping it would help. Biting her lip to hold back tears Sam continued. "I guarantee it on the years I've spent working with W.O.O.H.P… I put my reputation that I've built before you and say that, Tim has really changed," she said, her voice shaking as her tears threatened to fall.

Standing behind her with his mouth sealed shut Scam watched Sam practically fighting her friends, her fellow agents, Jerry just for him. He couldn't help the small smile that touched his lips at her efforts because he knew that no matter what Sam was on his side. _"That's all I need," _he thought while looking at the girl who was still holding on for his sake. But he couldn't bear to watch her having to argue with her friends over him. It bothered him beyond anything because it wasn't fair to her.

Ignoring his thoughts for a moment he listened to Sam still begging for her friends to believe in him and give him a chance. His face grew sadder and his jaw tensed as his heart fell at the sound of her heartbroken cries. He couldn't stand it. _"I can stay in jail," _he said to himself._ "I can handle living with just seeing her face once in a while but I can't stand to see her crying like this," _he thought, clenching his fist and quickly making up his mind.

After another moment of Sam crying and trying to make his case to those around her he slowly walked up until he was behind her and soon he had placed a hand on her shoulder causing her to stop talking. Turning her around to face him he noticed the confused look on her face and he knew she was wondering what he was doing. Clearing his head of everything he slowly pulled her closer and made her look into his eyes before he said what had to be said. "It's okay Sam, let them arrest me."

Sam's eyes widened in shock, her mouth falling open as she blinked rapidly. _"Why is he saying that?"_ she thought before she shook her head. "No..." she murmured before holding onto him tightly. Sighing, Scam pulled her deeper into his embrace until all she could see was his face. Ignoring those around him he began whispering to her. "It's okay Sammie," he said, giving her a smile but she only shook her head sadly. "No it's not," she said, her voice sad and confused. Puling her closer to himself he looked only at her as he tried to make her understand. "I know you love me that's all I need," he said holding her tight against his chest. "And it's really nice of you to stand up for me..." he whispered leaving her to hold him tighter, clutching him close to her body. "You know I'm here for you, always," she whispered, nothing but love and sincerity in her tone.

Smiling softly he cupped her cheek and leaned in until his nose was touching hers. "I know.." he said stroking her cheek softly. "But...I can't stand to watch you fighting your friends for me," he said and soon she was opening her mouth to protest but he stopped her by placing a finger against her lips. "I can't stand to watch you have to argue with those people who were there for you when I wasn't," he whispered making her eyes fill up with tears. Giving her an understanding smile he continued. "It's not fair to you, or them," he said and tears were now rolling down her face in lines as she looked at him with sad, teary eyes hearing all the understanding all the care in his voice that was there for her.

Standing far away from Sam and Scam the agents stood pale in shock. While Scam had pulled Sam away into a quiet corner they had wanted to hear what was being said and so they had strained their ears and listened. Many of them had expected him to ask her to run away with him or tell her a plan to follow later on. But what was being said left them confused and surprised. No one had ever expected to hear those words. Standing frozen in the middle of the agents Jerry's eyes remained wide in shock. He had just heard Tim Scam caring about THEM. About how Sam shouldn't be arguing with them over him.

His jaw slightly dropped Jerry kept his gaze on what little he could see of Scam's face since he was leaning his forehead onto Sam's to speak only to her. Still he could see the care and concern in his eyes, the sad smile he was giving to the redhead who was crying in his arms and it left him shaken. This man had always been selfish and uncaring but there he was right before him, caring about the rest of them. There he was handling Sam with care as if she was the most important thing in the world to him. Jerry watched him stroke away some of her tears and hold her closer as they continued whispering to each other and it shocked him beyond words at how tense and sad Tim Scam looked to find Sam crying. Her tears, things that he saw as signs of weakness in the past were making him upset. It was like he couldn't stand to see her cry anymore. Still observing silently Jerry focused his ears back on their private conversation.

Crying in despair Sam clutched Scam's shirt in her hand and shook her head as she mumbled no over and over again, refusing to let him leave and leave her behind. Hating seeing her crying he kept wiping her tears and slowly lifted her chin making her look at him. Gulping sadly she looked into his eyes to find him giving her a smile. "Today was the best day of my life Sam...this Christmas has been perfect..." he whispered, his smile widening at the memories they had made today. "It was perfect because of you," he said making a small smile break out on her lips. Cupping her face again he pulled her closer. "Thanks for giving me enough good memories to last a lifetime," he said sounding more grateful than ever. "I'll always remember what we shared..." he whispered looking honestly into her eyes. Pulling her even closer he spoke with his lips touching hers. "I'll never forget you."

Sniffing sadly Sam couldn't get her tears to stop falling as she stared back at his sincere face. Rubbing her back to comfort her, he spoke with his chin resting on her head. "But they need you, you're W.O.O.H.P's best spy," he said softly only making her cry harder as her hands fisted the material of his shirt. Biting her lip she pulled back and looked up at him. "But..." she whispered sadly. "I need YOU," she cried. Smiling at her sadly he wrapped her up tighter in his embrace. "My life has been pretty messed up Sammie..." he whispered spitefully. "But whatever is left of me is your's..." he said while hugging her closer. "You'll always have that. You'll always have my heart," he whispered leaving her to break down into tears while she buried her face in his chest and sobbed. Soaking his shirt with her tears Sam began mumbling sadly. "I don't want you to go..." she said, biting her lip as her tears never stopped. "Please don't leave," she sobbed.

Pulling her head up gently he smiled while wiping away her tears with his thumb. Leaning his forehead on hers he spoke again. "I don't want to leave either but some things are necessary," he said, his smile growing sadder. "But...you'll see me again. You promised to visit me, every day remember?" he said his smile widening when she nodded. "That'll be the highlight of my day," he said as he stroked her hair while Sam stood there crying again. Wiping away her tears and knowing it was time he leave he held her face in his hands and gave her a serious look. "Promise me one thing Sam." Wiping away her tears that were still falling she gulped. "What?" she asked sadly.

Giving her concerned smile he whispered. "Promise that you won't cry over me anymore," he said making her take a sharp breath when she realized he was leaving. Kissing her forehead for a moment he separated from Sam before walking over to the guards, ready to be taken away.

Glancing at each other the guards now looked reluctant to take him away and Scam realized they had somehow heard his and Sam's conversation but he found he could care less. Nodding at them he made them move to take him away and soon they were loosely holding his arms and leading him out of the room. Watching him with sad eyes Sam felt tears running down her face as she felt her heart clenching and writhing in her chest. Behind her Clover and Alex stood quiet, sad frowns on their faces as they watched Sam crying and slowly they both turned their heads and looked at Jerry who was standing there in silence, his eyes on Tim Scam's back as he was walking away.

Walking away Scam had almost left the room when he turned his head not being able to resist from seeing Sam one last time. When he saw her he noticed how her eyes were glued to him and she was struggling to control her tears just because she had promised him she wouldn't cry. Giving her a calm, comforting smile he turned back around and stepped out of the quiet ballroom.

"Stop!" A sudden, loud, authoritative scream called from the back of the room making the guards freeze in their tracks. Sam who had been crying silently held her shaky breath when she recognized Jerry's voice. Turning her head she looked at her boss only to freeze in surprise when she saw how his eyes appeared almost teary as he looked at Scam's turned back. Taking a deep breath Jerry spoke again. "Let him go," he said and from next to him Clover and Alex let out an audible breath of relief. Obeying Jerry's orders the guards let their hold on Scam go. Blinking curiously Scam turned around not knowing what was going on. All eyes focused on Jerry as everyone waited for him to continue. Taking a deep breath Jerry looked at Sam who was watching him with wide, hopeful eyes. "Apparently you were right Sam...people can change once they find a reason to," he said, turning to glance at Scam before he looked back at Sam. "You're obviously his reason," he said as the room remained silent.

Pausing for a moment he continued. "The words he's spoken today are words I never thought I'd hear him say..." Jerry said remembering the thoughtful words that Scam had silently spoken to Sam. "Cleary this man standing before me.." he said, nodding his head towards Scam who was avoiding his gaze. "Standing before all of us is no longer the one we've fought against for years," he said making his agents nod slowly and Sam bite her lip in nervousness. "He's different, he's changed somehow and I'm not sure how but...I don't really care..." he said softly before he smiled at the girl who was still holding her breath. "Because he's changed for the better," he finished making her let out a breath of relief and smile as she realized what he was about to do.

Smiling harder Jerry continued. "I don't know how you changed him, how it all happened... but I can safely say I've never been more proud of you than I am today Sam," Jerry said making her smile harder as a tear split from her eye. Turning to glance at Scam, Jerry looked at him silently with pride in his gaze but Scam didn't see it since he was still looking down. Nodding, Jerry let him be knowing he was regretting the past, something which only made him believe he was right to be proud of the man who was finally done wasting his life away. It was more than he could ask for to happen on Christmas Day. It was a miracle he would not soon forget.

"So..." Sam asked softly, twiddling her fingers in nervousness before she took a step closer to Jerry. "You're giving Tim a second chance? You're letting him go?" she asked biting her lip and Jerry knew she wanted to be completely sure. Smiling at her innocence Jerry paused for a moment, watching her nervousness rise before he nodded. "..Yes." He didn't miss how her face lit up at his words. "Thank you Jerry," Sam said, slightly breathless from disbelief, still having a hard time believing this was really happening. "Thanks so much."

Smiling at the redhead who was barely being able to contain her joy Jerry shrugged. "Think of this as your Christmas gift from me..." he said before giving her a pointed look. "I assume it's better than the experimental gadget that you probably haven't unwrapped yet, right?" he said with a small smirk on his lips making Sam blush sheepishly and soon everyone had burst into laughter.

Laughing himself, Jerry waved a hand towards the agents who had switched off the music before. "Alright let's go, this is a Christmas party," he said sounding peeved at the lack of cheer and soon the music was back on and the party was slowly moving back to being in full swing.

Smiling Jerry was about to leave the ballroom and leave his agents to enjoy the party when he stopped in front of Tim Scam on his way out. Despite having been pardoned he was still standing there, looking down awkwardly and frozen in place. A sad smile formed on Jerry's lips as he realized he was still guilty and having a hard time moving on. "Tim?" he said suddenly but Scam still kept his head down, only blinking in response to his name. He was still not being able to meet eyes with him. Sighing Jerry took a step closer to him and spoke in a comforting tone. "You never had problems giving me death threats before Tim…why are you hesitating to look at me now that you've done the right thing?" he said leaving Scam to finally look up at him with guilty eyes.

Jerry watched as he stared at him for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh and looking down only to glance back up at him with nothing but regret on his face. Looking at him with a knowing, understanding smile Jerry nodded. "It's okay Tim," he said feeling the unsaid apology and patting him on the shoulder slightly, "Stay out of trouble now," he said in an almost fatherly tone before he gave him another smile and left. Watching after Jerry as he walked out of the room, Scam soon had a small, happy smile on his lips. He turned when he felt a tap on his shoulder to find Sam standing there with a huge smile on her lips as she looked at him because she knew that everything was okay now.

Returning her smile he moved to take her in his arms only to stop when he noticed Sam's friends Clover and Alex coming over to them. Wondering why he had stopped Sam turned around only to gulp nervously when she saw her two best friends and she knew she had a lot of explaining to do to them. Biting her lip in nervousness Sam quickly walked closer to them with Scam behind her. When she reached them Sam sighed before taking a deep breath and thinking of how to go about explaining why she hadn't told them of her feelings before. She had no idea how she was going to explain Tim's experience with the 3 spirits to her friends without the two of them branding her and Tim crazy. Knowing she had to say something Sam opened her mouth the speak only to have Alex speak before her.

"So that's what was bothering you," she said making Sam blink. Alex glanced at Scam before looking back at Sam. "You were missing Tim Scam from your Christmas," she said making the redhead blush and nod softly. Sighing Alex looked at her friend pointedly. "I know this doesn't mean much now Sammie but you could have told us, we would have tried to understand, "she said softly and Sam nodded. "Sorry," she said but Alex only smiled before wrapping her friend in a hug. "You have nothing to say sorry for," she said sweetly as she pulled away and studied the smiling redhead. "Honest to God, I've never seen you so happy Sammie," she said making the redhead blush. Stepping away Alex let Clover talk to Sam as she had been patiently waiting to.

"Well..." Clover started slowly while looking at Sam with questioning eyes. "This is a surprise," she said while crossing her arms over her chest. "Do you want to explain how on Earth this happened Sam? "she said making Sam bite her lip as she wondered what to say. "Well.." she started while nervously looking at the blonde. "It has to do with spirits or angels, "she said awkwardly making Clover's eyebrow raise in confusion before she shook her head.

"Never mind forget it," she said and Sam blinked wondering if she thought she was lying. Seeing Sam's sad face Clover rolled her eyes. "Um you don't need to explain Sam," she said quickly. "If HE..." she said pointing at Tim Scam who was standing there quietly. "Has decided to give up crime then it HAD to have been some kind of miracle that caused it," she said and soon Sam was smiling at her understanding words. "Thank you so much you guys," she said before wrapping Clover and Alex in a group hug.

Pulling away a moment later Clover smirked. "Okay, I left Blaine behind so I'm going to back before he starts missing me," she said before turning to go only to pause and give the couple before her a smile. "Merry Christmas Sam...Tim," she said Scam's name awkwardly before shaking her head. "I'm gonna have to get used to that," she muttered before walking away. Sam smiled as Clover left before glancing at Alex. "Merry Christmas Sammie, Tim," she said cheerfully before moving to go look for the nice agent Darren Evans she had been dancing with. Perhaps there was still time for her mother's Christmas wish to come true.

She stopped, a small smile on her lips as she noticed something from the corner of her eye. Turning around to face Sam and Scam she pointed above their heads. "By the way, you guys are standing under a mistletoe," she said leaving Sam to blush as she walked away.

Turning Sam to him by her shoulders Scam smiled at her blushing face. "Well that went well," he said making her nod before a slight smirk formed on her lips. "I toldddd you it would," she said childishly, surprising him as she poked him in the chest. Giving him a pointed look she kept smirking. "Now what's my prize Timmy?" she asked making him roll his eyes before he leaned down and shut her up with a kiss.

* * *

_**2 Years Later**_

Standing in the middle of the W.O.O.H.P Christmas party Sam bit her lip as she stood dressed in a black halter beaded gown while craning her head around and looking for the man who had just been with her a moment ago. _"Where did he go?"_ She thought sadly while her eyes scanned the dancing couples and celebrating agents. Sighing she was about to phone him to find out where he was when her phone buzzed in her hand and glancing at his curiously she was surprised to see a new text message. "Meet me on the roof," it said and Sam smiled at the name of the person who had sent it.

Her worry gone, she quickly began to make her way through the party curious as to why he wanted her to meet him outside. "Where are you going Sammie?" a familiar voice asked and Sam turned to notice Clover who was dressed in a slit, pink gown and Alex who was dressed in a purple ball gown and their boyfriends Blaine and Darren standing smiling at their sides.

Smiling she sighed. "He asked me to meet me on the roof, probably wants to give me my Christmas gift," she said making Clover squeal. "Ooh get going!" she said slightly pushing the redhead along. "Judging by the gifts he's given you on Christmas so far I can't wait to see what it's going to be this time!" she said excitedly making Sam giggle before she nodded and moved out of the ballroom. Climbing up the steps that led to the roof Sam bit her lip in curiosity wondering what it was that he wanted to see her for.

A few moments later she was on the roof's balcony and she bit her cheek and rubbed her arms as the cold, winter air hit her bare skin. Teeth chattering slightly she smiled at the fireworks that were lighting up the starry, December sky. _"Jerry really went all out this year," _she thought before glancing around and walking forward. After a few moments she was about to call out when she stopped, smiling when she saw him standing there in his black tuxedo, leaning against the railing of the balcony looking out into the darkness. Smiling brightly she walked over to him and poked his back. Her smile only grew brighter as Tim Scam turned and looked at her with a smile.

"So what are you doing out here? Hiding from the ladies?" Sam asked jokingly while her eyes remained glued on his handsome face. Slightly shaking his head at her words he took a step closer before wrapping her in a hug because he could see her shivering in her dress. Blushing softly Sam placed her hands on his chest and gave him a smile. "So...why'd you call me out here?" she asked curiously. Running his fingers through her hair he smirked. "Guess," he said making her pout. "But I hate guessing!" she mumbled making him chuckle.

"All right..." he said before pulling away and reaching into his pocket. "I have something for you," he said making her smile. "Aww Tim," she said happily. "You didn't have to," she whispered gently while moving to wrap her arms around his neck only to freeze when he held out a black, velvet ring box. Sam's eyes widened, her jaw slightly falling open as her heart began to hammer in her chest. Looking up and into his eyes she wondered if this was what it looked like.

Smirking at her speechlessness Tim whispered. "I didn't give you much the last two years..." he said making her look at him in doubt because she remembered his wonderful presents but he only smiled at her before continuing. "So I hope this makes up for it..." he said slowly before opening the box and making her gasp. Sam's breath caught in her throat as she stared at the 5 stone, platinum diamond ring in his hand. Blinking in shock she stared up at him only to find him staring back at her with his soul-searing eyes, a small smile on his lips as he took the ring out of the box and took her left hand in his.

Staring at him fixedly Sam held her breath as he slowly put the ring on her ring finger. "Perfect fit," he said while running his thumb over the ring that was now on her hand and smiling. A smile broke out on her face as she stared at him breathlessly and soon she was laughing softly in disbelief. "T-Tim," she said his name joyfully, her breaths still coming and going quickly while a blush formed on her face.

Smiling, her cupped her cheek and made her look into his eyes. When she did she found him giving her a concerned glance. "But, you're happy right?" he asked, wanting to be sure. Biting her lip Sam felt her eyes brimming with tears at his words, and soon tears of joy were running down her face as she gave him a nod.

A smile formed on Scam's lips before he wiped away her tears with his thumb. He held her close, promising himself that he'd never let her cry again.

* * *

_The End. _

Lol I wanted to say that. :P

Again sorry this is late. =( I hope it was at least _**enjoyable**_. (I wanted a happy ending lol).

**Please Review**, it would mean a lottttttt to me even if I was late posting this …. It would _make my Christmas _(Late Xmas lol) :D

By the way this story was based on the famous story of _"The Christmas Carol" _(Scrooge) by Charles Dickens. **_Did I get that right? Could you guys tell it was based on that?_ :( **I hope I did a good enough job with that at least.

Anyway, please review, thank you.

**MERRY CHRISTMAS (Ivy) EVERYONE! :D:D:D**

Love,

Cresenta's Lark


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